August 9, 2017
A decade ago, I began to work at a boarding school and I lived on campus, which meant – of course – it is time to get a dog. I have had dogs for most of my life and because of my current life circumstance, I thought it would be fair to a dog and good for me. So, I bought Freya. And without qualification, she has been the best companion I could have imagined. She walked with me during more than one dark day, and she was (is) excited to see me no matter how hard my day. She has the most tender spirit, the brightest eyes, and loving heart – all while looking the part of a formidable guard dog, and she comes by it honestly as a 100-pound German Shepherd.
Kim, Freya, and I made a huge life change when we quit our jobs, sold our house, and moved to a town we had visited for under 30 hours. Freya was unsure at first, but soon regained her spirit and love. After a few months of our new lifestyle, I realized that we live a similar lifestyle as the one I lived a decade ago: we are home all the time, we have some flexibility, and Freya is still energetic enough to help with a new dog.
After some cajoling, and not a small amount of bribery, Kim agreed to let me get a new dog. Now, I want the same experience I have had with Freya, so I looked to her same breeder, and as luck would have it, they were having a new litter in Freya’s line! We paid our deposit and waited patiently, sort of.
When our new puppy was ready to come home at 8-weeks, I decided that I would fly out to pick him up and drive him home. Did I mention the breeder is in Fox Lake, Wisconsin? We named our new boy Dante – not after the Inferno, but after a brilliant, protective, and warm-hearted attorney I worked with in my former life. Dante and I road tripped our way back from Wisconsin and bonded beautifully. We arrived home around the second week of June.
What happens at an inn starting around the second week of June is something I did not take into consideration. High season begins!
The work load more than doubled, the days seem to get shorter and fuller but longer all at the same time. As we have come to expect, our guests were amazing, but there were a lot of them! Kim cooked, shopped, concierge’d (?), hosted, gardened, cooked some more, cleaned up after everything all the while I work full-time, manage the facility here at the inn, handle all the marketing, online travel agents, and take care of the finances. All the while, we are house training new puppy, and maneuvering new and unchartered waters with a sharp-toothed biting ball of fur.
Did I mention that we bought a boat at the same time?
Well, we have the boat in the water, the puppy is house trained, Freya is getting used to the idea of a puppy, the house is standing, the guests are happy, and we are setting records for room nights here at the inn. It has been an enormous effort with more than one of us growling at the other, but we are living our dream.
Look Honey, a Puppy!
(I married WAY above my pay grade!)