6:30 AM — Wake up to the gentle chirping of cellphone alarm.
6:31 AM — Nope. Still too tired. Re-set the alarm for 7:00 AM, fall back asleep.
7:00 AM — Wake up to the gentle chirping of cellphone alarm.
7:01 AM — Fall back asleep.
7:10 AM — Wake up in a panic, remembering that I do, in fact, have to get up.
7:15 AM — Realize I’ve been lying in a daze in bed instead of getting up.
7:16 AM — Proceed to washroom and get into the shower.
7:26 AM — Realize I’ve spent the last 10 minutes contemplating my novel instead of shampooing my hair.
7:45 AM — Escape shower, look at cellphone clock, realize I should already be downstairs, panic.
8:01 AM — Stagger downstairs, fully dressed and more-or-less awake.
8:05 AM — Start making breakfast for our guests.
8:37 AM — Stomach starts to gurgle, scavenge random odds and ends from fruit salad bowl, toast crumbs, ham slices, etc.
9:02 AM — Halfway through cooking four different dishes, run a platter of jam and maple syrup out to the dining room because Mother forgot to bring them.
9:03 AM — Stay on my “I’m so competent I never forget things” high horse for an entire minute before I realize I forgot to make bacon.
9:07 AM — Hover over the stove, with the bacon pan on high heat, begging the goddamn bacon slice to cook faster.
9:33 AM — Get the last meal plated and sent out to dining room, immediately start cleaning kitchen.
10:00 AM — Check out time! No one is ready to leave yet.
10:07 AM — Hover around kitchen, putting random stuff away, stomach rumbling, waiting for guests to leave so I can eat.
10:33 AM — Eat breakfast!!!
10:55 AM — Start cleaning.
11:55 AM — Still cleaning.
12:55 PM — Still cleaning.
1:55 PM — Still cleaning.
2:55 PM — Still cleaning, Mother is starting to panic we won’t finish in time for check-in, take off earphones so I am able to hear her freaking out and respond accordingly.
3:47 PM — Finished cleaning!!! Told you we’d be done in time, Mother. Pffft. Why do you continuously doubt me?
3:51 PM — Crap, didn’t make cookies.
3:52 PM — Make cookies.
4:00 PM — Check-in time! No one is here.
4:37 PM — First guests arrive! Give them tour of the house, get breakfast order, show them to their room.
4:41 PM — Sneak back downstairs, flip open laptop, open up my novel file, and try to get a few words in before the next guests show up.
4:44 PM — Next guests arrive.
5:26 PM — Tour done, guests safely in rooms, return to laptop and try to write some … nope. New reservation came in. Deal with reservation.
5:32 PM — Writing time!
5:33 PM — More guests arrive.
6:01 PM — Okay, now it’s writing time!
6:04 PM — Last guests arrive.
6:27 PM — Seriously, do I finally get to wr–nope, it’s time to water the garden. Come on …
7:33 PM — Gardening done! Stomach’s starting to rumble, so that means it’s time for din–
7:34 PM — Realize the grocery store closes at 8 PM, and we need about a gazillion things to make breakfast tomorrow.
8:00 PM — Stagger back into house loaded with grocery bags, unpack groceries.
8:06 PM — Dinner time! And then maybe after that I can retire up to my room, sit down, and finally get some writing done …
8:37 PM — Iron napkins for breakfast.
8:43 PM — Set table for breakfast.
8:52 PM — Help Mother fold fitted sheets.
9:01 PM — Get ice and glasses for guests who want to drink rum and coke before bed.
9:07 PM — Go to turn lights out in parlour, get drawn into discussion with guests about their vacation plans for tomorrow.
9:28 PM — Grab laptop and phone and run upstairs before anyone can ask me to do anything else.
9:31 PM — Finally, writing time! Open up laptop, put fingers to keys … and am so tired I can barely string two words together.
9:35 PM — Watch an episode of whichever show I’m currently binge-watching.
10:30 PM — Resolve to actually get some writing done tomorrow, crawl into bed, pass out.
Doom and gloom aside, I actually am really enjoying running a bed and breakfast! It’s just a lot of work. So. Much. Work. And I never get any writing done. It’s driving me crazy. Hopefully once Mother and I get more comfortable with being innkeepers, we’ll have more free time and then I can actually get some work done on Cerulean Bound. Until then … onwards and upwards!
Unrelated media of the day:
Truly excellent stock photos …
Michelle Proulx - Author 