Thank you, Michael Warren Thomas! I was so nervous. I've been interviewed once before for the newspaper and I've written many articles that have been printed, but radio - that's a horse of a different color. Fortunately, Michael made me feel very at ease, although I felt like a stumbled around a bit. There is so much to talk about and you want to make sure that you make good use of the time you have on the radio. It was pre-recorded so it'll be interesting to see how much he airs. The interview lasted 35 minues!!! I didn't think I could talk for that long. What am I saying??? I use to talk in the classroom all day, but then again, I was talking with my kids not at them. 
     Well, back to the interview. It will be aired tomorrow on WYSL 1040 (Buffalo/Rochester) at 11:00 AM. I will have the podcast available on my web site as soon as it airs. I'm not sure that is good or bad. Michael already told me that no one likes their voice on the radio. He doesn't even like his voice. Although I must say, he has a great radio voice - deep and rich. He has a great program that showcases local businesses and the Finger Lakes region. This is a really great exposure for the Inn especially since the capital improvement project is finished and we are moving forward with marketing.
     The weather was yucky today. Rain, then ice, then snow and now hear the wind blowing. It's times like this that I'm glad I don't have to drive to work.  Tomorrow I have guests checking in and I have to bake a pie for the Scottsville Rotary Groundhog Dinner. It's a fundraiser for the Wheatland-Chili School District for programming. 
     Next week I have a dinner meeting to prepare for. I should be fun. I'm making vegetable lasagna with French Cranberry-Apple Pie for dessert.  Then it's on to planning for Junior Achievement. I have a 3rd grade class this year and the teacher at Cal-Mum elementary, Erin McCory, is wonderful! It will be fun to get back into the classroom for a few lessons. We are building a city to teach community.  What fun!
     More tomorrow...

     Tomorrow I'm meeting with Michael Warren Thomas of WYSL to be interviewed for his radio show on Saturday. He thinks the Genesee Country Inn is a very special place (which it is) and that people would like to hear about it's history and everything we do here.  Very cool!  I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.

    Today was my first class of step aerobics. RJ thought it would be a good idea if we signed up for an exercise class at the school.  Actually, he wanted to swim laps and I have no interest in getting into a pool in the dead of winter.  I thought walking up and down 3 sets of stairs at the Inn daily was plenty of exercise.  I looked at the offerings a couple of times and could not find anything I was interested in. But then again, I wasn't really excited in doing anything. So today is the day. I almost got there on time if it hadn't been for the phone ringing. RJ answered it while I waited at the door dressed in a down winter coat, wool scarf wrapped twice around my face and head, and my wood cap to keep my ears warm. I looked outside to see the wind blowing snow wickedly passed by side door. Brrrr... Do I really have to go? RJ hung up the phone and said, "Let's take your car."
     Out we go, wind blowing, snow hitting my on the side of my face. RJ unlocked the door and in I hop. God, the seat was cold. Well, it should have been. It's 20 degrees with a wind chill in single digits. He started the car and turned on the windshield wipers. Ooops! Frozen to the windshield. He mumbled under his breath.
     "You okay?" I asked.
     "Yea," he responded.
     But he continued to mumble. I guess frozen windshield wipers were not what he expected 10 minutes before I have to be to a class that I only signed up for because he was suppose to be swimming the same day I was stepping.  Oh, I forgot to tell you... he class was cancelled. 
     Anyway, he brushed off the windshield and turned on the defroster to release the wipers and off we go.  I didn't think anyone was there at first and I said, "If no one is there, that's it for me." He didn't say anything because he saw the cars before I did.  He dropped me off at the front entrance to the high school. I immediately just out of the car and rush into the building. I stopped at the office and said to the gal behind the class, "I know I'm late and I have absolutely no idea where I'm suppose to be."
     She smiled and said, "You are here for the step aerobic class? It's in the library and don't worry the instructor was a little late, too.
     The class was small and they had already started warming up. I stretched while I tried my sneakers and jumped right in. There were 6 of us plus the instructor: Helen, Sue, Kim, Devin, Eddy, and Mary. An hour later, I am back in the car heading home with RJ.
     "Did you like it?" he asked.
     "Yea, it was okay."
     "It's good to get out and meet people."

     I know he is right. I need to take more time for myself. And this is good for me. I'll be walking up and down my stairs tomorrow at the Inn.

      It’s snowing! A lot! The prediction is for 1-2 feet by tomorrow morning. The good news it the construction at the Inn is completed. Hurray! A couple of things to tweak but that’s it. I am so glad that the dumpster is gone, too. My, my, it’s starting to look like home again.  Everything at the Inn looks absolutely gorgeous. I think tomorrow I’ll take a few pictures for next year’s Christmas card.

      The temperature is starting to drop and I can hear the wind blowing. I think the storm is getting closer. RJ has a really nice fire going. I hate to go to bed when it’s so warm and cozy here in the living room. I have 8 guests tonight. I wonder if anyone will decide to stay for another night to avoid driving home in the storm. Wouldn’t that be the best? 

      While I was trimming the tree, my mind wandered back in time to when my kids were small. Tears welled up as I thought about everything my mother had missed. I put one of her glass Christmas bulbs on a branch and watch the bough bend. That ornament must have been at least 50 years old. I placed another one on the tree. Again the bough bent under the weight of the bulb. “Merry Christmas” spun around the bulb. How beautiful the red glittered letters looked as they reflected the white Christmas lights that adorned the tree!

      Outside the snow was gently falling in large fluffy snowflakes. On the porch, they glistened as they began to pile on one another. One inch, then two. Pushed the snow off the walkway and cleared a path. I wonder how long it will stay clear. By the time I finished the walkway, snow had already accumulated enough to cover my shovel tracks and my footprints. Humph! I could do this all evening and never keep it clear. I guess I’ll just call it a night and see what happens in the morning. Snow… and lots of it, I’m sure!

      The weather was cold this morning. It had snowed quite heavily, about 3-4 inches, and my world was covered in white. I trudged up the driveway through the snow to the shed to get a shovel. I figured the walkway would need to be cleared. The paper was late this morning, rare for my newspaper guy, but I think the snow may have slowed him up somewhat.

      The walkway was definitely covered and I pushed the shovel ahead of me to make a path to the front door. Geez, it was cold! There was still a hint of snow in the air and I was thankful I didn’t have to go anywhere today. As I opened the door and slipped inside the foyer, the warmth of the Inn enveloped me as I unlaced my boots. I put them on a rag in the kitchen to catch the snow as it melted.

      Breakfast was uneventful. I had prepared everything the night before so all I had to do was slip it into the oven and start setting tables. We had a really nice group of people in. Two couples were here for a romantic overnight. One was celebrating a birthday, the other an anniversary. The other three were visiting and attending the Yuletide in the Country at the Genesee Country Village and Museum. I think RJ and I will do that next weekend.

      I brought up my “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree. It’s pretty much a stick with a few branches, but it does look beautiful when I put all the old handmade country ornaments on it with a string of wooden beads. I’ll make sure I take a picture of it tomorrow when it’s decorated. The big tree will go in the parlor or maybe the dining room. I’m not sure yet. I think RJ wants to put his trains up this year. That will really be a lot of fun.

      He worked late today (11:00 PM) getting the painting finished. Well, it really didn’t get completed finished. He ran out of paint. There was just so much siding that needed to be painted before tomorrow when the Larry, our carpenter, returns to finish. There is only one more window to be trimmed inside and then it’s on to staining.

      I started my throw pillows this evening. I managed to get some really pretty fabric that will make exquisite pillows for the bedrooms at the Inn. Green, brown, and burgundy flower print. Very pretty. I have several meetings I have to attend this week, It will definitely cut into my work day. I sit on a marketing committee for the Genesee Country Village and Museum. Christmas caroling at the Monroe Community Hospital. Then there is a Chamber meeting on Wednesday. Cooper’s surgery is Wednesday, too. And then we have guests beginning on Friday. Looks like another busy week.

      Time to call it a day. Good night and I’ll see you tomorrow.

      Snow today! Nothing that really accumulated, but enough to make driving a bear. I ran out earlier knowing the weather was going to get really yucky. I even picked up a few extra things in case my guests wind up staying an extra day because of the weather.  It has been known to happen.

      RJ was really busy today. Even with all cold and wind, he was in the pond pulling out the pump for the fountain, cleaning up the yard, and washing the tractor.  Hmmm… looks like he had another very busy day.

      I have guests tonight, but their plans are to leave very early tomorrow morning, so I’m not sure I’ll even see them. Then I had 5 rooms checking in between 3-6 PM. Lots to keep me busy.

      We are almost finished with the capital improvement project. YEA! The guys worked as long as they could to finish, but additional siding needs to be painted so they can put it up on Monday, weather permitting, of course.  That means RJ will be painting all weekend in the basement while I am putting up Christmas decorations. This I think I’ll put up 3 trees – one in the parlor, one in the dining room, and my Charlie Brown tree in the foyer. That should do it. I have plenty of decorations to decorate the rooms, the stairwells and even our sign outside.

      I just love this time of year as did my mom.

      Leaves, leaves, and more leaves!  How in the world did I do this last year by myself I will never know. We raked, bagged, and moved bunches and bunches of leaves.  Tomorrow is the last day the town will pick up leaves, so it became a race against time.  RJ mulched some and vacuumed the rest.

      This afternoon we took Cooper to the vet for his annual physical. I was a little concerned because he had a lump on his hip. The vet was wonderful. Dr. Currie decided that a quick check of the cells would determine if it warranted further concern. Well, she was right. Cooper is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday. She really didn’t like the way the cells looked. L

      When I got back to the Inn, I went back to racking before I lost the light. It gets so dark so early now.  I started thinking about my mom. I remember her working outside, weeding. She would remind me to pull out the root, not just the leaves, because the weed will come back. Sometimes I wonder if she was really talking about the weeds or was she referring to something else – like relationships.

Another busy day at the Inn

      It’s hard to believe it is Wednesday already. The week has just been flying by. I spent a bit of time this morning trying to get from under my paper. Filing, sorting, pending, new files… yuck! Boring work but someone has got to do it. Paid a couple of bills and headed over to the Inn to work on the McGinnis.

      I had taped it off yesterday in preparation for today. So out came the paint brushes and I got to work.  I only painted the wall beneath the chair rail, so it when pretty fast. Two coats of honey-colored paint later, the afternoon had slipped away and the sun was starting to wane. I sealed my paint can, washed out my paint brushes, and placed them on the sink to dry. I did a quick run through the Inn, making sure the heat was turned down, the doors locked, and the lights off. It’s going to be a cold one tonight. The weatherman says it should drop into the 20’s with a chance of flurries.

      With that in mind, I took the leftover food from the dinner last night (oh, I didn’t tell you about that yet) to the little house and started a fire in the stove for the evening. It started without a hitch. I added a couple of medium sized logs to the firebox and opened the vent to get a nice air flow going. Grabbing my work gloves and my hat, I went outside with the dogs to finish the raking near the pond where RJ was unable to pick up the leaves with the tractor.  My goodness, the leaves were deep! Even with all the trees we took down earlier this year, there are still a ton of leaves to pick up. I was listening to NRP this afternoon and the garden guy on the radio reminded me to pick up the leaves so there will be no damage to the lawn after the snow falls. That was exactly what happened last fall when after 80 bags of leaves, the snow fell and that was it until spring. Unfortunately there were several piles that did not get picked up, which left a couple of large dead stops on the lawn. I’m not going to do that again. Therefore, I’m out there until the sun went down and beyond picking up wet, icky leaves and twigs. Now I can’t even see anything because it’s so dark. You have to remember, I am in the country. The moon is my light, when there is one. So I picked up about 5 bags, tied them up, and called it a night.

      Inside, the house smelled of manicotti, stuffed with 4 cheeses and homemade sauce. The garlic bread is begging to be warmed up. I pulled out the dogs’ bowls and measured cup after cup of kibble into their bowls. Add a little canned dog food and a bit of water and they are ready to go.  Cooper can barely wait until his bowl hits the ground before his face is into the bowl swallowing it whole.  Bentley, on the other hand, is a bit more patient. He is so tall, his head looks over the counter and watches as I mix his food and put it into his stand. 

      RJ comes in from putting the tractor away and announces he will be returning to the Inn to finish painting the trim for our carpenter.  The food smelled too good. We had dinner then he went back over to the Inn.

      Tomorrow it’s the vet for Cooper, the Springer, and Sam, the Maine Coon Cat.

      Oh, yea, I almost forgot about yesterday’s dinner.  RJ spoke at the Scottsville Rotary Club meeting that is held at the Genesee Country Inn. He spoke about his trip to California, where it helps with the wildfires in San Diego.  Since he retired in January, he drives a catastrophe van for Travelers. Pretty cool! His job is to get the mobile to the location of the disaster, set up the office, and get it back to its home base when the work is over.  He brought back some very disturbing pictures of homes and vehicles that were totally destroyed by the fires. I was so proud of him! Although he was gone for a month and I missed him terribly, someone had to take the time to help those in need. And I’m proud to say my husband was there to help.

      The king suite on the first floor "the Barcklow " also had new carpet installed today. It’s celery green with a sculptured pattern that accents the white woodwork and sheer curtains. The bedspread in a textured green pattern, draped with a country quilt in green, white, and gold. Oodles of throw pillows grace the king size bed. Through the French doors is the sitting room to the suite. Full double hung windows fill 2 walls and overlook the mill pond and Spring Creek. The carpet wraps the one step and fills the room with the perfect color to accent a thin wood planked ceiling and wood framed windows. The stain is a dark library oak and quite stunning. A flowered love seat in purples, greens, and browns can open into a sleeper sofa if necessary. The room is large enough for a desk, an armoire, and a comfortable stuffed chair for watching TV or reading.

     Tomorrow the Scottsville Rotary Club will meet at the Inn in the evening. The menu include Stuffed Manicotti (with four cheeses) and of course, the Inn’s famous baked breads. So as you can see, I have a lot on my plate tomorrow " no pun intended. So until tomorrow, Good night, sleep tight, and don’t let the bedbugs bite!

I didn't realize how much time has passed since my last entry.  The Genesee Country Inn has been a very busy place! This morning I had 14 guests for breakfast.  My bread has been a great hit. This morning I had Cranberry Nut bread (the usual) but I also made a sweet Hawaiian bread and a French peach bread. Just fabulous! My bread machine has been working overtime.  Tomorrow I have a smaller group for breakfast so it looks like oven-baked pancakes are on the menu with homemade apple cider syrup and homemade triple berry syrup.

This weekend we have a full house every night. Ten rooms and 23 people.  Should be very interesting on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

The work on the Inn is in full swing.  We just finished the McGinnis Room. The divided slider looks wonderful. Larry Cross (our carpenter extradorinaire) did a superb job of finishing and trimming the door as well as replacing and creating the wood siding.  Next is the roof. The roofers should be there on Monday to begin the ripping and replacing of the roof that will maintain the integrity of the look but with new technology to create a superior structure complete with gingerbread and new gutters. The Inn will look outstanding when she is finished.

We have had some extremely interesting guests over the last week - from authors, to doctors, to

It´s hard to believe that we have just celebrated our 1^st anniversary of owning the Inn and it´s the Inn´s 25^th anniversary! Wow! What a great combination! So now RJ and I are planning to host an open house to celebrate our first year here at the Inn next month. Could be fun"¦

This past weekend was the 25^th anniversary of the Civil War Reenactments at the Genesee Country Village and Museum. Several of the reenactors stayed with us at the Inn. Then Union and Confederates were well represented. The Battle of Bull Run was reenacted in all its glory on Saturday, July 21^st.  It was really something to see. Several of my guests are reserving for next year, since we fill up pretty quickly. 

While at the museum this year, I found Miss Pat. She is an extra