14 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: fraud, guest house chronicles, guests
Living at Garden House is never dull.
Realized one of our guests used our address to fraudulently enroll her children into school when we received the invitation to Parents’ Night.
She asked our permission first, was told not to do it, and went forward with the scheme anyway. A bold and unfortunate move, particularly in light of what happened to this Ohio mom, whose case made national news.
The school is on to her now. Lives will be disrupted.
17 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: discount, guest house chronicles, health insurance, irony
I find it interesting that people expect a discount just because they ask for one. Particularly since we offer luxurious short-term digs at an already competitive price.
“[Garden House] looks great! I am looking for a place that is convenient and safe, but as I am a resident, I do not have a lot of money.”
Well, well, well. You’re a resident. Almost a doctor. While I do consider all discount requests on a case-by-case basis and routinely give price breaks to long-term (several months), repeat guests, I can’t help but to be cynical.
When she becomes a doctor, if I were to walk into her office, requesting a discount because I have no medical insurance, would she give it to me? I think not!
14 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: bacon, guest house chronicles, misunderstanding, vegetarian
Here at Garden House, we keep a vegetarian kitchen. Guests are welcome to store their cereal, milk, yogurt, and other breakfast goodies in our kitchen. Sometimes, they ask us for a pot to heat up soup or make pasta, but for the most part, guests tend to take their meals outside.
Imagine my shock when I awoke to the smell of bacon. I sleep in the attic, but that smell could jar me out of a coma. I went downstairs to find their dishes piled in the sink.
There is a pound of bacon in my refrigerator. It’s going to be a long eight days.
01 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: drunken guests, guest house chronicles, snacks, travel
I was preparing for my trip to California. The airport shuttle was scheduled to pick me up at 5 am, so when one of our couples, (a lively, fun- and alcohol-loving couple in DC for the rally) returned from their night out on the town at 3:30 am, I was toiling away, putting the finishing touches on packing.
After the couple had retired to their room, I went to gather my fruit, nuts, and whole wheat pita chips for the plane ride. But where were the chips? Not on the counter, not in the cupboard, not on the table. The pita chips had disappeared.
It took me a few minutes to realize the drunken couple had grabbed them before stumbling up to their room. I knocked on their door to investigate. “Am I going crazy, or do you have my pita chips in there?” They had been talking quietly in their room, but after my comment, the chattering stopped and they fell silent.
The chips were sheepishly returned 10 minutes later.
23 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: awkward, guest house chronicles
One of our beloved regular guests is a school principal who stays with us Monday nights through Friday mornings, before returning to her home in Richmond. Thursday night is normally my last time seeing her, because when she leaves for work at 7 am, I’m usually deep in REM sleep.
This Friday, however, her plans changed slightly, and instead of driving to Virginia immediately after leaving work, she returned to the house to pick up a few things. I was surprised to hear her voice call my name from the entryway. “Lara? Anyone? Hello?”, but I was more surprised that she did not come alone. She’d brought along a colleague from work who was hitching a ride with her to Richmond. A handsome, ambitious one, about my age.
And what was I doing? I was stretched out on the sofa, under a ruffly white blanket, wearing a hairnet and watching She-Ra, Princess of Power.
A hairnet! Really!
20 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: belly dance, cooking, guest house chronicles
Good guest karma lately! Ana, a community service worker and former nurse, visited DC with her mother. Ana had come to the city to attend an awards banquet–she was nominated for her work teaching low-income families to prepare healthy and delicious meals for their families on a tight budget. (And I mean tight–much of what she teaches incorporates using free food from the food banks and the community garden.)
The ever-cheery Ana sent me to the grocery store with a list, and when I returned, she taught me how to make 5 simple, quick and delicious meals. (She did not raise an eyebrow at my vegetarianism–just adjusted the grocery list.) All the house guests raved about our minestrone and everyone dove headfirst into the guacamole. “My” cooking was a hit!
So now, I know how to make 12 dishes instead of seven.
********************************************************************
I asked Ana what she charged for such a lesson. Her response? A belly dance performance, in costume, right now.
04 Sep 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: guest house chronicles
This month at the guest house:
Recently married couple from Alabama. She’s a pharmacist, and he’s a minister. We’ll call them Traci and Rev. They enjoy telling the story of how they came to be married. He used to date her identical twin sister, who dumped him for his best friend, breaking his heart.
After some time had passed, Traci prayed to God to send her a man. She told Him she was ready if it was His will. God told her to call her sister’s old boyfriend Rev. The next day, Traci called Rev, and three months later, they eloped.
Rev says he “got the better twin.”
My mother says this is a symptom of a town being too small.
