Yes, that little rodent saw his shadow again! Ol’ Punxsutawney Phil has been known to

Groundhog Cupcakes

predict if we will have 6 more weeks of winter. Did you know that he’s number 17 in accuracy amongst the other weather forecasting rodents?!

Well, enough about this winter talk! What else is February known for? Don’t forget President’s Day and Pat’s mom’s birthday too! Marian just celebrated her

Marian’s 97th Birthday

97th birthday on Groundhog Day and was celebrated by most of our family at the home where she now resides.

She does miss doing all of the laundry at our B & B, but after her fall in November, 2023, she has been occupying her time in a home in New Castle.

Another big day for many is Valentine’s Day! What are your plans? My experience in the past is that on Valentine’s Day reservations and lines at the restaurants are busy. So why is there such a day? According to Wikipedia, it was originally called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, It was a feast in honor of the martyr, Saint Valentine and then with folk traditions it became a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.

So February, the shortest month of the year is a time when winter (hopefully) is on the downtrend, the days are getting longer, and the idea of romance is in the air. When you think of romance, what comes to mind? Chocolates? Flowers? Dining out? Strolling on a beach? Having been married for over 46 years, I’m still trying to learn as to what is romantic. Did you know that running a vacuum cleaner can be romantic? It can be the little thongs… (I made a mistake there, but kept it … thought that I’d leave it in to make a point, I really meant to type things!), but in reality men and women are different. Women typically like those little things and may find them to be romantic, while men may typically equate romance with sex.

The reality is that if you want to be romantic, you want to get into the other one’s head as to what do they like and meet that desire. Is the house busy with overactive kids? She may need some help around the house. OK women, what if he drew some bathwater and set it up with candles, soft music and then left with the kids for a couple of hours? Does that sound romantic to you? In our relationships, it’s about focusing on our partner and not on what our desires are, although finding that common interest or goal can also be very rewarding.

I find that in order for Pat to truly relax is to take her away, to spend time somewhere that she can not take on any responsibility or caring for anyone else’s needs (4 adult children, 10 grandchildren, her mom… you get the point!). We can focus on each other, share our dreams, share our goals, share what we have been truly blessed with over the years and talking about all of the memories and experiences with family and friends, or just relax. I took her to a bed and breakfast once but we never left! I would suggest that you do the same… well for a couple of nights anyway!

If you are thinking that your relationship isn’t what you had hoped for, or if it is great, but you want to make it even better, there’s a retreat called A Weekend to Remember that offers a weekend for couples that could boost your romance! They offer these retreats at over 75 locations nationwide annually (for 40+ years). If you were to sign up, you can use “ChapelValleyEstate” to get a better rate.

You could also book with us and enjoy a quiet walk around the property, a relaxing fire in the fire pit, or just relax in your room, or enjoy some of the sites or things to do around the area. At the time of this writing we still have a couple of rooms available for the Valentine’s Day weekend, but there’s availability throughout the month, so if you’d like, we will offer 10% off when using the promotion code “BeMine” when you book on line for between now and March 15, 2025.