2011 - September Snippets

September Snippets

The morning after Labor Day, I watched a fleet of yellow school buses zip by, but by the next weekend tourism was alive and well again.  The weather did the usual fake-out, turning chilly enough to drag out the winter comforters for the B&B beds and then turning into sultry summer again, necessitating a change back to the light spreads.  The bookings were so plentiful, we began to wonder if we were going to get a season to rest, but don't misinterpret that as a complaint.  With the economy leaving so many people in dire straights, we are happy to be the busy ants in demand with a means for saving for the hard winters to come.  Since moving here, I've learned how difficult government restrictions have made it for our local fishermen to earn their livings, which is one of our major sources of income.  We don't take any good fortune for granted.  

Our little town of Eastham is known for three things:  nationally recognized beaches, speeding tickets and the oldest windmill on the Cape.  This year we decided to answer the call for volunteers for the annual Windmill Weekend Festival and spent a gorgeous day on the town green ladling chowder and selling raffle tickets.  Our own tickets didn't win anything, but we had a birds-eye view of all the activities and somehow ended up on next year's Publicity Committee.  If you're not careful in a small town, you're likely to end up in charge of something.

A visit from our son, Doug, was the cherry on our September Sundae.  He flew up to see the play Ron was in and liked the wordplay so much we went twice.  While he was here, he did the usual solving of technical issues and questions that we couldn't figure out, and even seemed to like it.  For a surprise, we had a toilet and sink installed in the basement "Man Cave Quarters" where he stays if the B&B's are full.  For those of you who have also stayed "down-under", you'll be happy to know there will be no more long trips up the stairs in the middle of the night.

My surprise compost-pumpkin garden yielded 10 little cuties, which are displayed proudly.  After worrying that there wasn't enough sun in the garden, I also got a late bumper crop of tomatoes, which will be making appearances later in our favorite marinara recipe.   No thanks to the critters, who find us irresistible, no matter how many we trap and relocate.  The squirrel count is now over 100, and the chipmunks now number 50.  The "Rescue Garden" has been expanding nicely, although I've spent as much time rearranging it as I have planting new adoptees, as I keep changing the dynamics by what I find on the discount tables. 

As our Red Sox were adding player after player to the injury list and tanking for the season, Patriot football filled in with a fresh new start.  Ron was coerced into joining a friend's Fantasy Football League this year, which makes knowing whom to cheer for a real challenge sometimes.  But, if there is any confusion about loyalties, it is quickly distracted by an increasingly decadent array of snack food that sends everyone home sated and happy, no matter who wins. 

Although we operate our B&B with accepted standards of professionalism, we couldn't do it without heart, too.  We trust that good karma always serves both parties well.  As an example, I took a rare cancellation last night from a woman who was coming from St. Louis to visit her mother in a nursing home near Boston.  She was so looking forward to spending a relaxing weekend at the Cape, but due to her mother's declining health, she was forced to change her plans.  Hearing her disappointment, I told her we would give her a full refund and hope she might be able to rebook another time.  No sooner than I clicked the Refund button on Paypal did I get an email request for a 4 night booking, including the nights that had been cancelled.  And, with that tidbit, September comes to an end.