6 months in for Spoiled Rotten Bed and Breakfast in Orleans and I can't believe how the
business plan has evolved.
It was predicted that this year would be different than all the other years and man were they right. I seem to have focused on workshops a whole lot more and for a whole lot longer than I did other years; something seemed to click and a well loved organizer and friend, Thea, supported me and used the adoration of her fans to promote it so it seemed right to just join the queue and drink her coolaid.  |
| Ann and Greg |
First off, I offered a group and then a private Pierogi making class. You know how when you go to the beach and come home with sand everywhere? Well there was flour EVERYWHERE!
Had a few Paint Nites which segued into Nude Paint Nites which were even more popular!
Enjoyed a house concert with Nigel Harris and his lively brand of music. https://www.musicalwellness.com/
My reward was a western Caribbean Norwegian cruise with an old family friend, Jerry Wolf.
Hosted an Indigenous Rattle Making class with Lill and then an Energy Share & Sound Healing, some Drumming- Lill-style (man she's versatile), https://www.facebook.com/events/465225770948898/ and a
Spiritual Discussion Coffee Group evening.
Things got interesting when my favourite masochistic massage therapist allowed me to join my cousin's appointment and take notes. He is so gifted and I hope to incorporate his techniques into my own massages one day.
This year I think was the first time I caught the Tulip Festival, and of course, my
garden was in full bloom as well.
Started my vegetable garden a week early. The yuckiest day of the year is compost in the garden day. Oh the agony but it's what makes my garden soil good enough to eat AND all the rogue plants that come out of the compost make it fascinating....well every year but this one. Nothing, nada. What a rip! 
A woman hosted a Girls Nite Out private Paint Party and another had a Paint Birthday party at Spoiled Rotten Bed and Breakfast. My prices are the cheapest in town at $15 per person, including your beverages and food but this is the real reason why I do it. At least one of them would like to come and help me in the bed and breakfast. At least one of them wants to attend my Psychic Spiritual spa afternoon. Some of them signed up for my newsletter because they like the topic of the workshops coming up. One of them is interested in my romantic date night which I explained was cheaper than one night in a regular hotel including everything you could imagine. It all works out in the wash.
Then "we" delved into unknown territory and hosted one of my first Dating After 40/ Sex After Divorce Potluck Parties and was that ever a lot of fun. My intent was the discussion about sex after divorce but the group were told it was dating after 40. Those two topics did not really go together but oh was it a lively afternoon.
I got to go away to a spiritual retreat in the country with Deb and Louise and learned what NOT to do at a retreat as the hostess. Oh they are good women to vacation with.
I continue to host more Dating After 40 parties. No sooner had I posted it then the event was full with a huge waiting list; how exciting.
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| Playing giant dice by the fire |
One of my favorites mediums, Nicole Babin, came to do a French only Spiritual Spa Day on Angels and Energy and then had a potluck with spiritual friends.
Off to knock another bucket list item off- vacationing with my siblings.
Another cruise back to Alaska to take lots of pictures this time and finally have memories unlike my first trip where my camera fell in water.
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| Bros Tom and Paul, and sister Diane |
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| College Fjiords |
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| She looks like I feel |
My daughter Jessica was supposed to go camping with a friend in Algonquin park and asked if she could borrow all my camping gear. Over the past lifetime my precious babies have borrowed my stuff and broken or lost almost everything so I was very leery of her having all my good stuff which I use often for my solo trips. I tentatively gave her all my crappy gear- tents with broken zippers, missing poles... you know, the "karma's a bitch" stuff and coming back to bite you on the butt for not taking care of it the first time around. I didn't check anything- I gave her buckets of unorganized stuff. Then her trip got cancelled and she asked me along. Good grief, I would have to go through everything again. She came back with her van full so we didn't pack it properly or if I must be honest, check it at all. I added tons of new stuff just in case from replacing old crappy tents with a working huge tent. We figured it would all work out. It did but we haven't forgotten this much in our entire lives. I've only been on one other subsequent camping trip where we forgot even more stuff. This is the summer of survive or die apparently.
Previous camping partners would've turned over in their grave if they were actually there. Apparently lot of stuff comes from inside the house and doesn't stay in with the camping gear like spatulas cutlery drinking cups. We had exactly one melted plastic fork 10 knives and a bunch of spoons. The only spatula we had was probably a pot scraper but hey it worked. It was too cold for the raccoons or mosquitoes but they were watching for sure.
Honestly, the mosquitos were not the worst; its just you forget what its like having things fly around your head and it was preparing me for my upcoming Killarney nightmare straight out of a Stephen King novel. It got much colder and we were expecting a lot of rain.
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| Barron Canyon at the top. |
Honestly, the mosquitos were not the worst; its just you forget what its like having things fly around your head and it was preparing me for my upcoming Killarney nightmare straight out of a Stephen King novel. It got much colder and we were expecting a lot of rain.
Last summer, I took foraging hikes and learned all about what Mother Nature offers. We may have enjoyed some of her medicines and laughed til we cried. Hiked Barron Canyon twice and filled our cameras with millions of pictures. Caught up on hours of sleep and even manifested a flotilla of male canoers. Well the trip got cut short with the torrential rains but the memories will last forever; epic mother/daughter camping trip then back to work, again.
An offshoot from the Sex and Dating After 40/Divorce was the requested Online Dating Discussion group which went off marvelously.
Another thing knocked off my Bucket List- camping in Killarney Provincial Park with a friend, to commune with the hordes of pterodactyl mosquitoes and be carried away by the Green Mile black flies outside and inside the yurt. Oh my God what a terrible time to camp.
Back home, the phones are starting to ring now, the place is starting to book up since I'm finally here with cell service. Hosting a caregiver 101 class for all those overworked caregivers then another Online Dating class which filled up to capacity in less than half a day.
Off to see the Rolling Stones for Canada Day weekend- are they still alive???
I'm sure there will be many more workshops and paint nights throughout the summer unlike last year but my favorite is coming up with Nicole Moronval, the intuitive medium from Montreal who will talk about Empowerment and Spirituality on July 6th at my Spiritual Spa Day. https://spoiledrottenbnb.ca/about/upcoming-events/#event|spiritual-spa-day-2|68 . Sign up soon.
What a half year this has been but now I'm back to work so give me a call and let's get you Spoiled Rotten again.
