Tough Times and Glimmers of Hope

Hi everyone, I'm so sorry it has been such a long time since we shared anything. This last winter has been one of the hardest times we've had to go through in a long time. I don't know what it is about winter, but sh!t always seems to hit the fan at that time of year. I'm going to try to give you some updates and not dwell too much on the sad things. However, I will try to be honest with you as I talk about things.

In mid January, we suffered a massive fire in the big cottage. Thankfully our tenants were not home at the time, but their pets did pass away. Our local fire responders were amazing and so helpful through the whole process. Insurance determined that it was not our fault which is a relief, but we continue to feel awful for our tenants and all that this put them through. Luckily, they had some close family in the area and our insurance was also able to offer accommodations so they always had a place available to them. Also, they were able to salvage some of their belongings so that was a big blessing too.

Our insurance company determined that the building was a total loss and so we hired our favorite contractor to demolish the building and clean up the debris. It was extremely sad to see something that we put so much time, effort, and money into just crumble in front of our eyes. I went through a very dark mental health period and unfortunately this was only the beginning.

Clover Marie Knudsen passed away unexpectedly January 31st. We thought she hurt her back and we took her to an ER in Troy, NY. Upon further examination, they determined she had fluid on her lungs and cancer had spread throughout her body. We made the decision to say goodbye to my precious baby and my heart was ripped out of my body. I know many of you will say she was "just a dog", but Clover meant more to me than anybody on the planet. When she died it was as bad as when my mom died. She was my best friend, constant companion, and the one safe space I had in this world. I very seriously considered suicide after her passing. The world is just too lonely without my precious baby girl. I'm doing better, but I am still deeply grieving this heavy loss. I miss her every moment of the day and I honestly don't know how I'm going to keep going without her.

One week after her passing, Matthew found a puppy that he wanted to adopt. I was hesitant, but he had so many characteristics that Matthew had wanted and it was his turn to pick out the next dog. We brought Milo Marie Knudsen home on February 5th. He has been the sweetest "little dumplin"(my nickname for him). He is such a busy, sweet, and comical boy. I'm so glad we have him, but he has been a big test of my patience. Matthew has done an amazing job of training him and taking on some of the potty training issues. It's been amazing to see their relationship develop over time.

Right after the cottage fire, I applied for a part-time job at Mass Moca (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art). It quickly became clear that we were going to need more income and it made sense to keep Matthew home so that he could still work on the property. The Friday before we picked up Milo, I found out that I got the job. I started work on February 11th and I have been loving it. It's three days a week and requires me to wander the galleries and answer questions from patrons as well as keep an eye on the art pieces. The people are amazing and I've been thoroughly enjoying it. Thank goodness for my new endometriosis doctor because I would never be able to physically do this job in the past. I'm usually walking between 15,000 and 25,000 steps each shift. It's definitely helping me to get on track for my summer body:)

We have a lot of information about our upcoming rooms. We have ordered a replacement for the for the cottage which should be delivered in August. It will be mostly furnished so I just have to do a little decorating once it gets here and we should have it open for leaf peeping season. We are continuing to work on the interior stairwell and room 5. Matthew finished a beautiful shiplap ceiling in room 5 this week. Our apartment tenant moved out at the beginning of the month and we have decided to switch that over to another motel suite. We have had some great long term tenants, but we feel it would be better to move toward short term rentals.

Old window lower left; new window lower right

Around the time that we had the fire, we had all six of the large front windows installed. They make such a difference with cutting down the road noise and freshening up the look of the motel. Unfortunately, shortly after that, we discovered some significant leaks in the motel roof which we will have to address this summer. On top of the siding we will have to tackle this as well. It just never ends around here.

On a happier note, Matthew made his first batch of maple syrup from the trees on our property! He made around a third of a gallon of syrup so far. It is actually really really good! It kind of reminds me of a caramel syrup for ice cream. He is also getting ready to welcome his first set of bees! They should be here at the end of the month and he already has his hives built. He's going to be a Bee Daddy! I do really love that he is taking some time to do some of the hobbies he has talked about for so many years. With all of the hard work he has done, it's way past time that he start doing something for himself.

Lastly, we have added additional products to our Tranquillitas Etsy store! It has taken longer than anticipated to finalize recipes, but we are very happy with the results. We have added some candles, lotions, wax melts, and reed diffusers all of which incorporate natural ingredients and scents that are all developed by us---no synthetic or pre-made fragrances. Head on over and check out these products as well as our Vermont-sourced jewelry and artwork! https://www.etsy.com/shop/TranquillitasBeauty

Well, I think I've caught you up on most of our updates. I hope all of you are taking care of yourselves and being kind to the world around you. In these crazy times, it's so important to remember to be kind to those that surround us. You never know the internal battles that someone might be experiencing. Kindness matters.