Maplevale Farm Bed and Breakfast

The Aftermath

A friend just sent me pictures of Hurricane Ike, though we did not meet the gentleman in quite the same way those in Texas did, we are very familiar with him here in the Tri-State. 80 mile per hour wind sheers last Sunday afternoon resulted in power outages for over 600,000 residences, with some of those still with out power. We lost three trees and out neighbor lost his fence and carport and his roof is sporting a tarp over the hole the third tree punched in it. It was truly a fearful time and I can only imagine the feeling of those who felt the wrath of the full Force of the Hurricane. How we all take life and our way of life for granted. All we can say is Thank You that no one we knew was harmed.

Fall is in the Air

It was just yesterday that the students left for home or a summer abroad and it is only two days until their return. We have had wonderful weather for the past two weeks, but as usual, move in time brings the humidity back to Oxford. It will be in the upper 80's which sure could be worse.

We are going to have a 'Big Dig' in our back yard as of the first of September. Our Septic system has developed a few problems and we are going to enlarge it by adding a second system. This will enable us to switch from one to the other and will allow our original 30+ year old system to rejuvenate itself. We are not happy to have to do this but consider our selves fortunate that the Health Department will allow this enlargement rather than require us to put in an entirely new system.

The Olympics have taken up our time for the past 8 days. We have been glued to the TV watching the Swimming and the Gymnastics, my favorites. Duke prefers the Equestrian events. Michael Phelps is our hero but Duke insists the Jumpers are the best, especially the Grey 'Charger'. He is excited to have guests coming back to greet and we will be right there welcoming them back to Oxford, starting on the 19th of this month.  

The Cicadas are singing in the evening here, a sure sign of Fall being in the Air. This means Football, and it starts on the 28th at Yeager. GO HAWKS! 

There's no place like Home

We spent a week with friends and family in Illinois and some time in Southern Wisconsin. While in Spring Green Wisconsin we went to Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and then to The House on the Rock. What a contrast these two offer. Each has a place in our heritage and culture and shows the diversity of our wonderful Country. The country side in that part of our USA is lovely and it was a treat to be able to enjoy the rolling hills and beautiful river valleys. The flooding of the Mid West was evident in Spring Green and the mosquito population was multiplying hourly.........................arghhhhhh.

Duke spent his week at the Doggie Spa and was totally pampered and completely spoiled. John now has a book of dog tricks to teach him so they will be busy 'in school' for a while.

We are getting ready for our Car month here in Oxford in July. First we will have the Model T's rolling through town and the Friday they depart the Porsche's will arrive. There will be some 400 Porsche in town as this event is one of the three National events in the Country for this elete group of Auto lovers. Quite a compliment for our town and our organizers

Sparkling

We were in a state of Chaos last week. Two Bedrooms were torn up and you couldn't  walk through the upstairs hall for all of the furniture and 'stuff'. The plasterer arrived, two days late, and the mending process started. Our walls have a beautiful layer of fresh  plaster on them and the ceilings are smooth as silk. A fresh coat of paint and the McChesney room and our bed room were ready to be put back together. Believe me they really Sparkle! This redo has started a great throw away process and it is severely needed. Way too much stuff has accumulated over the few years we have been here..........

Duke had a friend visit for the weekend and what a hoot that was. The first Dogie sleep over. They shared the 'Duke area' and really got along well. Fever was used to sleeping in her mistresses bed, but was not allowed up stairs as we realize some of our guests could not handle the exposure to Dog Dander. She made it through the night without too much stress and Duke was a happy boy to have the company. The run in the park was heaven for them both!  

Happy Spring!!!!!!!!!!!!

Annual International Film Festival

April 10th will mark the opening of the Second Annual Oxford International Film Festival.  This edition of a very successful event will surpass it's first year. There have been so many films submitted for showings that the organizers have not been able to keep up with them. Those selected will be showcased in  beautiful surroundings. This year the entire community will take part with the venues expanding to the Up-Town Parks and to the Community Art Center. For details go to the web site at http://www.oxfordfilms.com/.

This wonderful time will go through the weekend, April 11th, 12th and 13th. We are really happy to think that our Community is hosting such a spectacular event.  I only wish that Maplevale Farm www.maplevale.com had rooms available for this great weekend, but you can request to be put on our wait list-----------just in case.

Easter

The Easter Bunny is going to have to get a boat to put the eggs out for the Hunt. Instead of snow shoes, will the hunt participants have to wear flippers to stay on top of the saturated ground? Oh my goodness it is soooooo wet.

We really need the rain to stop so we can have our chimney tuck pointed. They need two consecutive days in the 50's with no wind or rain to get this arduous task completed. Then we can schedule the plasterers and painters. Our McChesney room will shine after all this is completed. We are so grateful to our understanding guests who have had to view the leak and stained plaster that is evidence of same. Thank you all for your patience.

I just finished reading "House of the Spirits" by Isabelle Allende. Pick any one of her wonderful stories to read, you can't go wrong. She will carry you through family sagas and introduce you to Chilean history in such a beautiful way. Can there be a better way to pass the rainy season, I don't think so. 

March Madness has started and we are a bit tired after helping our wounded UK warriors finish their season. Our new Coach, Billy Gillispie was co SEC Coach of the year and certainly deserved the honor. We will really miss our two Seniors, Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford, what characters they are and what stories circulate around both of them. Go CATS!

NCAA Division 3 Swim and Dive Championships are keeping us hopping here during a usually slow time in Oxford. It is Miami Spring Break week and the town is filled with Men and Women from all over the country and some international guests. An exciting time!

Please Winter, Go Away!

Oh my goodness were we handed an icy weekend. One guest couldn't make it any further than Indianapolis, from Chicago, and had to stay there Friday evening. A phone call from a previous guest, who couldn't get home to Cincinnati, filled the room for Friday night and both were safe from the elements. John spent a lot of time and a bag of salt free getting our drive way kept ice free. The fire places provided the extra warmth and everyone enjoyed winter stories around the breakfast table. The one consensus was that Spring would be sooooo welcome this year. By Sunday morning the drive was dry and our great group of friends/guests left anticipating a much better trip home than the one experienced when coming into Oxford.

Happy New Year to everyone

We started our 2008 at a wonderful Bed and Breakfast Conference in Natural Bridge Virginia. The Mid-Atlantic Conference has energized us and certainly provided us with many new ways to make your stay at Maplevale Farm Bed & Breakfast better than ever. The Session presenters were simply wonderful and very energetic. We met and talked to some of the nicest persons ever in the form of other B & B owners and vendors. 

Duke got to go to the 'Doggie Spa' and play with his friends. They take great care of him and he comes back smelling like a boutique which he isn't too fond of.

We will share a new product with you when you visit us next and are sure you will enjoy it as much as we do.

Happy New Year from all at www.maplevale.com

The Stockings are hung

And the house is all decorated. I made my Thanksgiving deadline for turning on the lights and except for the 'easy assemble Snowman we were set and on schedule. The Snowman is now in his proper place on the porch and will welcome you when you arrive. We are expecting out first full fledged  snow storm this weekend and with the students moving out of the town all this week after their exams it should not cause too much of a problem.

The kitchen is now being used to prepare food for our family and friends instead of for our guests and I thought you might like my recipe for Cranberry Chutney.

Apple Cranberry Chutney

2 cups Water

2 cups Sugar

2 Tbs Molasses

2 Large Granny Smith Apples, peeled and cut into small pieces

12oz fresh Cranberries

1 cup Golden Raisins

1/3 cup Red wine vinegar

2 Tbs fresh Ginger, grated

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Hot sauce

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a med sauce pan and boil until sugar is dissolved. Add molasses and apple slices and return to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until apples are fork tender. Add the washed and stemmed cranberries along with the remain ingredients. Stir and return to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 20 more minutes.

Makes approximately 4 cups of chutney and may be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, though best used with in 3 days of completion. Great Christmas gift!

Merry Christmas and may the New Year bring only the best of everything to you and yours.

Holiday Activity

Please mark your calendar for November 30th and December 1st and plan to be at Kumler Chapel here in Oxford for the Ceremony of Carols. The program is performed on the 30th at 8 and 10 P M and on the 1st at 8 P M. Tickets are available at the Miami University Ticket office. This is a beautiful way to kick off your Holiday Season.