What happens...

[Alibi Ike]

Sorry to hear about your difficult week also but I am most concerned about your boiler. I mean.....replacing ours costs a small fortune.
We are presently having ours replaced and it is costing us over $25,000 so that is why I am so concered about yours..

Not quite that much, but it was every dime we made in profit this year. At this time of year reservations are slim so no chance of even making up enough to cover other expenses. That's the killer. We had money in the bank and now we don't. And, this weekend last year our sewer backed up so repeat guests who were here for that last year are staying for free. As are the vets. So, essentially, this weekend is a complete giveaway, almost all 3 nights. I think I calculated that 21 room nights will generate 5 room nights' income. Which will cover nothing. Not even the food, heat and water for the weekend.

 

[Alibi Ike]

OMG - How did I miss this???? I'm so very sorry.
Similar (but nowhere near so horribly hectic) thing happened with our cat .... went down hill very fast - obvious what had to be done and done soon. I needed one more night with her - it was New Year's Eve and a full house. It took everything I had to be nice the next morning and not just burst into tears and ask them all to "please go away - NOW".
All my love and sympathy..

Thanks kiddo. It was rough. I didn't want anyone to be here but we had to keep one room because the past 2 weeks blew the entire bank account. We're hand to mouth again, just as it was getting easier.
Threw all the winter reno plans in the trash. Almost cancelled my family coming to visit so we could open up to make money. But, plane tickets for 5 people to fly cross country ain't cheap and we were past the point of no return on that.
So we put up with more bad reviews based on 'dingy furnishings' and 'outdated TV's and amenties' for another year.
Sorry, it's all starting to hit now.

 

[Paradise]

Thanks everyone. She's proving to me we're making the right decision at the right time..

So sorry for all of your troubles, but especially for your special furry family member...

 

[gillumhouse]

OMG - How did I miss this???? I'm so very sorry.
Similar (but nowhere near so horribly hectic) thing happened with our cat .... went down hill very fast - obvious what had to be done and done soon. I needed one more night with her - it was New Year's Eve and a full house. It took everything I had to be nice the next morning and not just burst into tears and ask them all to "please go away - NOW".
All my love and sympathy..

Thanks kiddo. It was rough. I didn't want anyone to be here but we had to keep one room because the past 2 weeks blew the entire bank account. We're hand to mouth again, just as it was getting easier.
Threw all the winter reno plans in the trash. Almost cancelled my family coming to visit so we could open up to make money. But, plane tickets for 5 people to fly cross country ain't cheap and we were past the point of no return on that.
So we put up with more bad reviews based on 'dingy furnishings' and 'outdated TV's and amenties' for another year.
Sorry, it's all starting to hit now.
.

Saved my ((((((HUGS))))))) for now. It is after the fact that needs it too. Life is not easy, not is it fair. We just have to "keep on keeppin' on" as they say here in West Virginia.

 

[Samster]

Sorry to hear about your difficult week also but I am most concerned about your boiler. I mean.....replacing ours costs a small fortune.
We are presently having ours replaced and it is costing us over $25,000 so that is why I am so concered about yours..

Not quite that much, but it was every dime we made in profit this year. At this time of year reservations are slim so no chance of even making up enough to cover other expenses. That's the killer. We had money in the bank and now we don't. And, this weekend last year our sewer backed up so repeat guests who were here for that last year are staying for free. As are the vets. So, essentially, this weekend is a complete giveaway, almost all 3 nights. I think I calculated that 21 room nights will generate 5 room nights' income. Which will cover nothing. Not even the food, heat and water for the weekend.
.

Sorry, Ike....

 

[Joey Camb]

OMG - How did I miss this???? I'm so very sorry.
Similar (but nowhere near so horribly hectic) thing happened with our cat .... went down hill very fast - obvious what had to be done and done soon. I needed one more night with her - it was New Year's Eve and a full house. It took everything I had to be nice the next morning and not just burst into tears and ask them all to "please go away - NOW".
All my love and sympathy..

Thanks kiddo. It was rough. I didn't want anyone to be here but we had to keep one room because the past 2 weeks blew the entire bank account. We're hand to mouth again, just as it was getting easier.
Threw all the winter reno plans in the trash. Almost cancelled my family coming to visit so we could open up to make money. But, plane tickets for 5 people to fly cross country ain't cheap and we were past the point of no return on that.
So we put up with more bad reviews based on 'dingy furnishings' and 'outdated TV's and amenties' for another year.
Sorry, it's all starting to hit now.
.

Was going to message you but it says link error we were were you are now about 2 years ago so believe me I know how it is. Step 1 the basement had to be sorted when we first got here and to save money we did it while open but it is quiet December/jan so we wern't worried plus the old boiler was straining at its capacity so we new it had to go or blow up. So new basement £XX then New Boiler £XX making another bedroom on the ground floor as part of the project so with the basement developed meant two new big double bedrooms. However the rest of the building needed tons of work 8 or so new bathrooms all the rooms had 14inch tv's of the old style (owners new they were going so were not spending any money). Put the boiler in 8 days later stopped working middle of Jan absolutely freezing! luckily didn;t have that many people in so could put them in rooms that have electric showers (ie make their own hot water) and electric heaters till a chap could come out. Have also just 2 months ago they set it all up wrong and it used 3 times as much gas as it should so the bill was humumgous! then just as the builders about 2 weeks before they were finished (4 weeks before the rooms were let) they just stopped turning up. Turns out they went bust and the boss's wife had a stroke but we didn't know this they just didn't answer calls or anything. So we got someone else in to finish up but it was ruddy close! Plus the previous owners had made a mistake with the diary and double booked us by about 3 rooms by not putting them in the diary. However I am making progress with the rooms and televisions but we need a whole new roof next year so that going to be £11,000 which knocks us back again. However the way I like to think about it is now all the majour structural stuff is done it will never need doing again
1- Windows - £33,000 never needs painting again which at £3000 per 3 years even without the heat and noise efficiency.
2- New boiler - £5,000 lasts 10-20 years
3- New roof - £11,000 (current roof is 106 years old so hopefully 60 years)
4 - basement - £40,000 - 60 years minimum.
really want to get at least 2 more bathrooms done next year which means I am fighting for every penny especially in the face of they are building a premier inn 107 bedrooms pretty much opposite me and are trying to get planning for a travel lodge of 78 bedrooms accross town as well to be open 2013. So I puts me in a time squeeze as everything has to be top notch to compete.

 

[sandynn]

I am so sorry. Tomorrow always seems like a brighter day. Well maybe next week or month.

 

[Tom]

Ouch! Our sympathies, also.

 

[agoodman]

[tr]
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
[/td]
[/tr]

[/table]

 

[HighMountainLodge]

Ike: every time we get a new animal, something inside me reminds me, "You know, it's gonna rip your guts out when you have to put her down in 8/10/12/14/whatever years. But somehow I always come around to choosing to love, as you have. It's sure better than running from that sort of pain. I'm so sorry for your loss.
Regarding the boiler, I was reminded about the time, right after we bought the Lodge, that I went down into the shop underneath the kitchen to discover water dripping from all the joists and the rotary iron half underwater.
It had been a couple of stressful weeks with repairs, upgrades, you name it. I looked at that dirty water dripping on the Miele, and I said a quick prayer: "Lord, you promised that you'd never give us anything we couldn't handle, but right now, Lord, you're pushing your luck."
Since then, Julie and I have toughened up significantly. Or maybe we're just numb. Anyway, we all get through this stuff. (Though secretly, we fantasize about putting an exquisitely slow and excruciatingly painful poison in the drink of the Steel Magnolia playwright who came up with that sententious line, "that which does not kill us only makes us stronger.") Yeah, right.
You take care, Ike.
Tom

 

[Generic]

This is awful and all at the same time. Our sympathies and hope things start to get better soon.
The silver lining is that your heat bills will go way down and unlike a lot of other people, you had the money. Just think of how much worse it would have been without it.
We have been talking about changing our boiler as well. We are thinking of also installing an indirect-fired water heater, provides more hot water, cheaper, more effeciently and the tank never needs to be replaced because there are no moving pipes. (Basically the boiler heats water that goes through pipes heating the water in the tank, so the boiler is the heating element)
Good luck and hold on... things get better.

 

[Alibi Ike]

Thank you to everyone who sent cards. We've received condolences from around the world from guests and innkeeping friends. It has really meant a lot to us.
We got a really nice (!) oak 'casket' back from the vet with ashes and a paw print in clay.
Everything else around the house is back up and running. The new furnace is a dream. Quiet, effiicent and the heat actually seems warmer, if that's possible. And, the company we bought the furnace from is financing it, interest free! So, no big cash layout at this point.
Mice have been banished.

 

[Joey Camb]

Thank you to everyone who sent cards. We've received condolences from around the world from guests and innkeeping friends. It has really meant a lot to us.
We got a really nice (!) oak 'casket' back from the vet with ashes and a paw print in clay.
Everything else around the house is back up and running. The new furnace is a dream. Quiet, effiicent and the heat actually seems warmer, if that's possible. And, the company we bought the furnace from is financing it, interest free! So, no big cash layout at this point.
Mice have been banished..

woo hoo!!!! I am glad it isn't as bad as it could have been and I hope that frees up some cash for renovations!