The World Came To My Door
I wouldn't trade it ...
When I opened my home in 2017 I had no idea that in just five short years I would host artists, musicians, and professionals from over ten countries.
Oh, it hasn’t always been easy. I’ve had my share of struggles with the differences in cultures. There was a male guest from Asia who walked through the house in his underwear. He is the reason my listing requires guests to be fully clothed in shared areas. And a female artist from Russia who struggled with my West Virginia dialect but asked many questions of the house, the animals, and the area.
The guest room is upstairs, across from mine. It is modestly furnished with a simple full-sized bed, with a memory foam mattress, and iron head and footboards. There is a four drawer chest, and closet space for those staying more than a day or so. An antique dresser serves as a desk for a laptop or tablet. A small television is connected to an attic antenna to give guests a taste of local news and shows.
The downstairs shared bathroom is exactly what you would expect from a 1920’s era home. The claw-foot tub was cast in 1918. The sink, also cast in 1918, has dual faucets; one for hot water, one for cold water. Many of our younger guests are often taken aback by the idea of running a bowlful of water to wash with. The Wedgewood blue paint, and white wainscoting on the walls, and the black and white hexagonal tiles complete the vintage look.
Within these walls we share with our guests a little of the history of the local area, and how our families came to live here. One young college student, working on a film project for his degree, sat up with us until 2:00 a.m. as we shared information on the Mine Wars of 1912-13, and how families not far from here were attacked with machine guns from coal trains passing by a tent city of families evicted from their company houses. Our history in West Virginia, United States of America, is a difficult one.
Most of our guests are just passing through on their way north or south. One and two night stays are the norm. We have had the occasional week long guest, and we hosted a travel nurse for a couple months back in the summer.
I was SuperHost for many years, until that international travel issue in 2020. Once I reopened my calendar I earned that status again. There have been guests who gave five stars, and those who gave three. Some rave about the homemade breads and jellies, others complain about location or the stairs. All-in-all I wouldn’t trade it for the world, because the world came to my door.
If you would like to come to our door, book direct and enjoy a special in-room treat of Holl’s Handcrafted Premium Chocolates, and a serving of Almost Heaven whole bean coffee, roasted by Coal River Coffee Company, ground fresh on-site at breakfast. This offer is NOT available with booking through the Airbnb portal.
My church is taking donations for the local foodbank. We did it for Thanksgiving and we are doing it again for Christmas. Because I am filling in while we are without a pastor, I did some research on what foodbanks need. Guess what? They need more than canned corn and canned green beans.
November was much busier than I imagined. It seemed as if I couldn’t catch my breath for all the activities I had going on. Not only did I have my own appointments, Dad and I had joint eye-exams, and I had to drive my sister to one of her’s. Add to that preparations for Thanksgiving, and after.
I shared with you that I developed a basal cell carcinoma. On November 29 I had surgery to remove it. The doctor used the Mohs technique. The cancerous cells are removed by making thin slices until no cells remain. The doctor slices some then sends the tissue to the lab. The lab decides if more slices are taken. I’m not sure just why it is only used at certain times.
Dissolving stitches were used. The incision is healing nicely. There will be a scar but I’m guessing few will notice in a few months.
One week later, a second basal cell carcinoma was removed from my shoulder area. This was just above the armpit. It was a traditional incision surgery with the tissue being sent off to a different lab. It will be at least a week before I hear back about it.
I’ve got a few days to get the Christmas decorations up. I had some help getting things out of the building and bringing to the house. The challenge will be the tree. I can’t lift anything “heavy” for a few days because of the surgery.
I am interviewing Toolman Tim and his wife Becky at 8:00 p.m. EST, Tuesday December 6. It will be live streamed on YouTube and the Holstein House Facebook page. The audio will be uploaded to the podcast.
We’ll be talking about tools we need to have at home, and in our vehicles in case of emergencies. I’ll see if Becky agrees with Tim, since sometimes we women see things a little differently. I’m sure we’ll talk a little about how Tim reached nearly 6k subscribers, why they are buying land in Tennessee (they are Canadian), and Becky’s daycare business.
Then I’ll be interviewing Lisa Hayes-Miney, writer, artist, librarian, and sage. I’ve know Lisa for over twenty years. I wrote for her when she published Two-Lane Livin’ print magazine, and I contribute to her online production Two-Lane Renaissance. We’ll record this one for later distribution, probably on December 13.
The podcast is doing fairly well. Twice I’ve been in the top 50 of fountain.fm podcasts. I’m still getting a schedule settled on. I started with Tuesday and Thursday, but now feel that is too close. I may go Tuesday and Saturday. Tuesday seems a good day overall so that will probably remain. I’ve been testing out different headsets and getting mixed results. I’m going to have to settle on one soon though.