Open For Business
Last Thursday we opened up the inn for our 7th season. I can't believe we have had the inn for this many years. It seems like just yesterday. Normally we open May 1st, but we got a call from a very nice woman who was disappointed that we weren't open this weekend. George had answered the phone that day and being the accommodating person that he is, it didn't take much for him to be convinced to open up two weeks earlier so she and her boyfriend could stay with us. I thought he was crazy. Opening early for one room. Luckily that one room turned into several rooms and we had a very successful five days.
When we open for the season, there is always that "Where did we put that?" or "What did we use this for?" or "Did you remember to buy something?" It's like we've been away for years and forget all the things that we normally do. There are so many things to buy and I thought I had everything covered.
Since the first night open was a school night, I stayed at our home with Aidan and George stayed at the inn. That first night we only had one room, and that room checked in after 11 pm. George went to bed and left their key outside in an envelope for them. He woke up and found a note outside the door stating that they wanted gluten-free waffles for breakfast. As I was driving Aidan to school, George called me on my cell. "Where's the gluten-free mix?" Just when I thought I had bought everything!! Usually people let us know that they are gluten free when they reserve their room, so we are always prepared. But this day, at 8:30 am (before the health food store opened), here we were, with no gluten-free waffle mix. Not knowing what else we could serve these guests, I panicked. I ran to the supermarket and found a very sad gluten-free section. Maybe they would like gluten-free cookies or pasta for breakfast. No that wouldn't do. As I was buying gluten-free flour (don't know what I was going to make with it), George called me on my cell. He said that the man that owns Cooperstown Health Foods was at the store and will open the door for me. I flew over there, got the waffle mix, ran to the inn, prepared the batter - all before their 9:30 breakfast time that they had requested. Whew! We did it.
Then at 9:45 the lobby phone rang. They wanted to know "if they could have room service. All they wanted that morning was coffee." What!? Really? But you asked for gluten-free waffles, and fruit salad, and eggs, and english muffins. "Do you know what we went through to get this stuff?? Do you know how pretty George set up breakfast for you??" Well we didn't actually say all that, but I think there was some disappointed tone in Georges voice that brought the boyfriend down to the lobby to eat the waffle. By himself. While his girlfriend slept in. Oh well.
The next four days passed without a hitch. Everything went smoothly. Tuesday morning as we were closing the inn as the last of the guests checked out, I was grateful for the slow start of the season. Mostly weekends until June. It gives us some time to get in the full swing of things. To be better prepared for all our guests. And to stock up on gluten-free waffle mix. It's gonna be a long season.
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