S*** Happens

I really don't like vulgar language, but today, the expression fit the circumstances....literally.
We've been getting some morning lows below zero and unknown to us was that our sewer line that services the older part of the lodge had frozen.  So, when our guests upstairs were running water or flushing, it all backed up in the down stairs bathroom tubs and toilets.  This was our third crisis of the day, after a toilet valve blew and we had a geyser in another bathroom, and our neighbor's well pump went out and Jim had to rig up hosing from our property to her tanks so her guests would have water.
Earlier in the week, I was wondering why we didn't have any reservations for our down stairs rooms. Now I know!
It's the end of the day, our neighbor's guests have water, the toilet valve has been replaced and all the water mopped up in our bathroom, the sewer line is thawed and has a space heater keeping it warm, the guest bathrooms have been thoroughly scrubbed down with disinfectants, and we are exhausted.
Oh, almost forgot about the disaster in the basement laundry room awaiting my attention.  A pipe from a toilet busted and rained water all over.  That awaits attention another day with a complete bleaching of floors, sanitizing rugs and re-washing the bin of clean laundry that was at the door waiting to come up, tearing out water logged insulation and assessing what all has to be replaced.
As Forrest Gump said, it (meaning s***) happens.  I'm going to go have some chocolate.

Frozen

Zella and I went out exploring one day last week.  We headed over to check out the three reservoirs that make up Greer lakes.  They were frozen over and Zella and I walked on water...frozen water.  I wondered how thick the ice was and when we got to another of the lakes, came across blocks of ice 10 inches thick extracted for ice fishing.  At our last stop, we came across this very nicely constructed snowman, but it appeared he had come upon hard times. We gave him a new prosthetic arm, facial reconstruction and hair replacement.  It was just the right thing to do.

Mission Impossible

As a recovering people-pleaser there are times I have to remind myself that it is an impossible mission.  That's a hard reality in the hospitality industry and in all of life.  Over this past year of running a lodge, I have worked hard to create an atmosphere that people will enjoy, decor that is enjoyable to the eyes, cleanliness that is critical to me as a former nurse, breakfasts delightful to taste and get people off to a great start of their day.  The coffee center is stocked and the pot is going early in the morning with that wonderful aroma.  The fireplace is set for a crackling fire.
Not everyone will have a good experience or desire to come back and it is hard for me to let that go. I wonder what I could have done better or differently.  There's no harm in evaluation, but then it's time to move forward instead of feeling personal failure.
This morning my guests came out of their suite and the gas fireplace had shut off during the night and it was quite chilly.  The thermostat was not operative so I took off the bottom vent to access the wiring and jump started the circuit as Jim had shown me in the event this happened.  I apologized profusely for the malfunction of the unit, but I felt like a dark cloud was going to remain no matter what else went right and that they will never come back.
This morning I had to renew my mind with the truth that my mission is not to please all people, which is impossible.  My mission is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, which is possible or He would not have given it to us.  That must be my focus and all else will flow from that.  I won't please everyone, but I don't need to, just the One.

Surprises

Some friends who stayed with us at the lodge asked what our biggest surprise was over our first year of owning and operating the lodge.  Not sure about the biggest, but here is a list:

• the propane bill, especially in the winter
• the number of people who ring our doorbell and assume they are at the right place because their gps said "you have arrived"
• the number of people who call us looking for another lodge 
• how long it takes to get any repair or construction done up here
• people who want a "cheap" place in Greer
• how many elk Jim has encountered hiking, how many elk or deer have been in our yard, and how much they poop
• the puppy Lyn brought home and now is Jim's exercise buddy
• how fast our first year went

So far in this new year the biggest surprises are how much it is snowing, icicles up to 4 feet long, and how much fun our dog has playing in the snow.

Weather Out the Window

The weather is always of interest.  We want to know what's predicted so we can plan what we wear, what we pack for a trip, what we are going to do outside, whether we are even going to venture outside.  Will we need an umbrella, a sun shade or snow boots?  Do we need to water plants or cover them up?  Is it the season to rub in how nice the weather is to our distant family and friends?
We watch the news to catch the weather, we check our weather apps and websites.  The "weather" person is now a meteorologist with information from thermometers, barometers, anemometers, doppler radar and weather satellites to give us a forecast.  Yet, with all their tools, their forecast so often goes out the window, so to speak.  
Our forecast in Greer has been quite out the window of late.  The "Big" snowstorm turns out to be a bust, while we really weren't expecting much snow today, but it started falling mid morning and hasn't stopped yet.  We've been shoveling throughout the day to clear paths for guests and sweeping entryways to keep down the amount of snow brought in on boots.  Tomorrow we may be shoveling cars out so they can get home.
While I still watch the forecast, check an app or website, what I find most helpful and accurate is to look out the window and see what's really going on.

Haberstock Herald 2015

Many years ago I began composing a letter to send to all our friends and family entitled "Haberstock Herald".  Here it is for 2015.

Haberstock Herald 2015

It's been a year for new things:

v  a new business and learning to use our smart phones, instagram, building a website http://whitemountainlodgebnb.com ,writing a blog http://greerazgazette.blogspot.com and posting to our business facebook page https://www.facebook.com/whitemountainlodge/

v  a new location - from Phoenix to Greer, desert to mountains, a white Christmas

v  a new church - from Scottsdale Bible with thousands in attendance to Calvary Chapel in Springerville with less than half a percent of that attendance, but with big and beautiful hearts for the Lord

v  new friends - from fellow business owners to the small population of full time residents in Greer

v  a new puppy - Lyn brought home an 8 week old Labrador puppy from Safeway...definitely not on the list...she has become our entertainment and fitness trainer and we truly enjoy her

v  new careers - while Jim still works for Honeywell remotely, Lyn is busy keeping a lodge clean and ready for guests, fixing breakfast, managing reservations and accounts and publicity, painting, staining.....Jim is landscaper, snow blower/shoveler, repairer and helper in his spare time

The Girls:

v  Kara and husband, Nate, are in Tucson.  Kara is a research specialist at U of A working with GIS mapping software which is definitely out of our skill set.  Kara just had surgery to remove melanoma from her arm.  Please pray it never comes back.  Nate is doing research this year as an interim between years 2 and 3 of medical school.  He wants to eradicate Crohn's Disease.  Go Nate!

v  Lauren is in her final year at Pepperdine University.  She spent the summer with us in Greer and worked hard at a little cafe.  Everyone loves Lauren...she did nicely in tips!  Plan A for next step is working in a school system in Germany on a Fulbright Scholarship. Awaiting selection results.

The Big Trip:

v  Lyn's mom, Nancy, turned 80 this year.  Instead of the traditional birthday gathering, Lyn and sister, Laura, planned a trip to New York.  It was a bucket list item with no checkmark.  One mom, 2 daughters and 2 granddaughters flew to NYC and they did it their way and had a blast!

We wish you all newness in your lives, especially the newness of life, peace and joy that only comes from our savior, Jesus the Christ.  

Yellow Snow and Feeling the Temperature

The weather outside is frightful, but the beautiful snow is delightful, so I sing let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.   But when the dog goes out it becomes....yellow snow, yellow snow, yellow snow.
Zella and I went out for a walk today after storehouses of snow dropped 7 inches.  The sun was shining and the air literally sparkled with snow dust being blown off trees.  Zella happily pounced in
drifts of snow and searched for buried treasure.  She looked like Zella Claus with a white beard.
 I had checked the weather site for Greer before we left and it said current temperature was 14 degrees but it felt like 2 degrees.  I'm sure there is a math formula to calculate the effect of the wind, but do they back up their data with experiment?  Just wondering if people have actually gone out in the buff and confirmed that the temperature really feels like 2 degrees instead of 14 when a little wind is blowing. Has anybody else ever wondered about this?  I'm not going to volunteer to provide proof of their claims, so I'm taking their word for it and layering up.