I cleaned house today, because guests are coming Friday for two nights. I’ll do a second run-through tomorrow, after making the Green Room bed and cleaning the bathroom. Yesterday I bought some white carnations for the dining room table, and I must say, the whole dining room looks so much nicer without a tablecloth, presentation-mode, ready for a photo op, were one to present itself. (You never know: a journalist might knock on the door without warning and interview me about this blog's upcoming anniversary?) Unfortunately, I didn't answer any requests for reservation. (If I say the same thing in the next few Days in the Life, then let’s begin to worry.) Thanks to a post on Wasabimon, I made a new bean dish for dinner, adding tomatoes, so the sparkly house smells quite intense: carnations and tomato-onion-bean casserole, what a great combination! The sky was blue and sun streamed through the window panes when Nicholas Gulde, stopped by to pick up a 5 in 1 printer for Preservation Hall. We chatted about competition for donations in this difficult economy. He reported Prez. Hall has done extremely well since his last request, several weeks ago, with a number of contributions in the thousands of dollars, and one gift of $10,000.
During the afternoon, I bundled up and went out to mail letters, stopping at the library to pick up a book for Sven, who has to stay home in order to facilitate healing. There were more cars than usual in the village, and non-residents with children about, here for a week of vacation in second homes, no doubt. At the harbor, I watched shellfishermen, out on the flats, gathering shellfish for other people’s New Year’s Eve dinners. The shellfishermen moved like robots, stiff from the cold and determined to get every last oyster as the incoming tide lapped ever closer to their booted feet. The sight made me feel glad to be an innkeeper/writer, two activities that are accomplished, for the most part, inside! 
