It occurred to me that my day as an Innkeeper of The Firelight Inn on Oregon Creek Duluth Bed and Breakfast should be shared today. I was busy with such a variety of tasks and feeling quite blessed that I live in this historic home, work very hard and meet charming people from all over the world!
I had the opportunity to meet so many unique guests this past weekend who stayed at our B&B. Steve and Nikki who have very busy military careers were here to celebrate a Babymoon before their son is born in a couple months. Bruce and Teena called at the last minute to escape the heat in Minneapolis and enjoy Lake Superior. Our Barnum suite guests were celebrating their engagement and I had to chuckle when they signed the guest book as married people already! A Duluth physician called at the last minute also as he had family in town but not a place for them to sleep so he reserved a suite at The Firelight Inn. We so enjoyed meeting Tom and Laurie from Colorado.
Song and Xiaomei from Ames, Iowa called at the last minute too as they were anxious to escape the heat. The Barnum Suite journal entry reads:
“Dear Joy and Jim,
We like to take this moment to show how thankful we are to our 1st B&B experience in your home. This neighborhood is amazingly beautiful. And your B&B is just a gem among it. I don’t think any B&B can measure up to this either. Everything was perfect. Your hospitality, the rooms, and service, the view and etc. Thanks again for sharing your nice home to us. We will tell our friends and also hope to come back for our next Duluth vacation.”
I set the alarm for 6:30 to begin my day and prepare breakfast for our guests. They enjoyed baked apple pancakes, sausage, fresh fruit and granola parfaits, orange scones, cinnamon coffee cake, orange juice, and coffee. While they were eating, I transferred more laundry from the washers (that had been timed to wash during the middle of the night) and loaded the dryers. A quick posting on The Firelight Inn Facebook page letting our fans know what they missed for breakfast and then began to clean up the kitchen. While waiting for guests to check out, I was busy cleaning and polishing the dining room hutch and all the Christmas plates that adorn the plate rail. I missed reading the morning newspaper as the delivery person missed our place this morning–a quick call to the Star Tribune to let them know that and I’m off to search for empty breakfast baskets that may be outside the guests’ suite doors.
After cleaning up breakfast baskets, I sit for a moment to get my morning daily Bible verse and devotion completed and write a birthday card to my granddaughter who is turning 18 on Wednesday. Happy Birthday Miss Ellen!
I answered a few phone calls about availability, rates, massage therapy and a call from Deneen Pottery who makes our mugs. Our latest order will be shipped today–sweetness!
Chatting with guests who are returning to Minneapolis and wrapping up mugs and Silk Petal Soaps for guests who have picked out their treasures from our gift shop completes check out. Then I head for the Brookside suite to clean and prepare for more guests. About this time, I unlock the back door for my tired-looking husband who is returning from his part-time job delivering produce for a Minneapolis-based company. A busy Monday morning for him means a quick bite to eat and a couple hour nap. Then I have errands and a post office stop for him. Guests have ordered coffee beans for us to ship and I’m sending a few loaves of banana bread to my sons Matt and Nate. It’s been awhile since I sent them a care package–I’m thinking they will be thrilled.
I stop to read the mail–always a highlight of the day for me–even if it mostly bills. Then back to the laundry room.
I belong to the Club 60 group that is managed by our marketing company Acorn Internet Marketing. I have agreed that I will spend an hour a day on marketing. So I look at Google analytics, bed and breakfast directories, update my front page, and return emails. That hour went quickly.
I begin cooking the wild rice for the soup supper that the guests in Northwoods requested for this evening. Jim reminds me he is going to make supper this evening. That’s awesome! I make a quick call to my girl friend Patty to make sure I have the right date for her 5th wedding anniversary this week. We chat for a little while and plan to hopefully see one another in a few days to catch up more.
Guests arrive from Nebraska and I get them checked into the Northwoods Suite for the next few days. They are very anxious to get down to Lake Superior to put their feet in!!! I gave them perfect directions to do just that.
I remember that I sold almost all the bags of Silk Petal Soaps from the gift shop and am getting low on my supply for the guest rooms so I spend the afternoon listening to the Minnesota Twins and hand dipping Silk Petal Soap. Oh, the aroma of lavender essential oil is so relaxing. Then a call from my son Matt and we catch up for a few minutes chatting about work, friends, his hockey team, his running and work out schedule and how much we miss one another.
Jim fixes fresh fish for dinner and I put the final touches on the Chicken Wild Rice Soup Supper for Northwoods guests Jim and Julie.
After supper, I iron while I watch the second game of the Twins Double Header and I chat with guests who are enjoying Firelight Inn sugar cookies and coffee.
So my day as a Firelight Innkeeper is almost complete with this writing. I’m truly blessed to have this job–the hours are long but life is good today and I can’t wait to get up tomorrow morning and do more of the same. It would be an honor to serve you at our Duluth bed and breakfast!
Joy Fischer, Innkeeper
The Firelight Inn on Oregon Creek Bed and Breakfast
