A Winter Stay At Wildflower Farm

Every year, this terrible thing seems to happen. I can't put my finger on why. It makes no sense to me at all, and I don't quite know what to do about it. So, I thought I would discuss what it is like to stay with us through the winter time. Every year, our usually hopping tiny place becomes just me and the ghosts of the people who passed through from spring through fall. I walk this house wondering "where did everyone go?" We love our guests. We have so much fun creating magic. And perhaps the most magical time of year here, is the winter. Yet, we are always empty all through the long cold season... I don't know what to do. I have tried a winter rate, we remained empty. I tried photos of the beautiful magical christmases, we are empty. I have tried talking about the beautiful winter sports and fun that can be had... I really don't understand the emptiness. Today, i will try all these things again and some fresh photos of the cute little room we offer year round...

The Foxglove Room, is located on the second floor just down the hall from a private bathroom that goes with it. We are an old fashioned farmhouse. So no ensuites, which are a very modern invention. But a private bathroom of course!

Tea for two waits for you on your bed. We usually serve Tea Forte. So when you arrive and come in from the cold, just upstairs, is a hot cup of tea and some cookies, or granola, or some other farm snack to go with the hot tea that will warm you right up.

This room offers not one nice window, but three. So you can look out at the green, or at the woods from the height of the trees as that is the level our second floor is on, the same as that of the branches of the trees. Look down at the pristine white, or the spring flowers, the wildflowers and dark greens of summer, stare straight out at the leaves changing color in the autumn. Our foliage is always beautiful. But so too is the pristine white of the snow. We are located within a half hour of several local ski mountains. Our yard is pretty big, and we have a couple sets of old fashioned snow shoes. You can snow shoe through our woods, build snow sculptures in the yard.... Remember that snow forte you wanted to build as a child? Here, you can totally build it! Watch the goats play in the snow. Hear the satisfying CRUNCH, as you head out to visit the chicken coop and you take your first step into a magical white world that lies between you and the chicken coop. Our dogs love to play in the snow... Cross country ski around the property, go check out Gates Pond 5 minutes from here for ice skating. Christmas In Berlin, is the town's christmas events. Look them up and go enjoy them. One of my favorites is what the town historical society does every year. It is always something different some aspect of christmas or winter, and history. Each year there is a gingerbread house contest, some local concerts and more. There is so much to do here in the winter months.

Warm bathrobes, hang on the back of the door, with slippers stuffed in their pockets. To help you stay warm in the New England winter. They smell of our laundry detergent. This winter that means they smell like beautiful country apples with a hint of cinnamon and a small hint of vanilla to cream the apple fragrance and the cinnamon together absolutely gloriously. The sheets smell the same. Cotton flannel sheets in the winter, and thick blankets make up the bed. Causing it to be perfectly winter proof and winter cozy. There is even a desk up there if you need to work. You can sit in bed in the cozy, with a nice desk and you can work. We have worked so hard to think of everything.

On top of the bureau, is where our little guest book lives. We love hearing from our guests what they loved about their stay, what they thought needs work, and any other messages they wish to leave for us. There is also a jar of fresh clean water. And our water is very special. Some time ago, I traveled to Great Britain, all the way to where the ancient myth of the isle of Avalon comes from. There is a well there said to be the magical well of Avalon, under this well is where Morgaine, created the scabbard for King Arthur's sword Excalibur. I took water from this well, I brought it back here and I opened up our well, and dumped it down so that our water may become charged with the same magic. The water is lovely in all seasons. You will bathe in it, drink it, it is piped right from the well into our house to every faucet and sight that receives and offers water. It is also in the jar on top of your bureau, waiting for you to enjoy it. The basket, holds information on all kinds of stuff in the area, put there for your convenience. Feel free to burn the scented candle.

The goats, live out back in their shed and enjoy the hill. Which means, you can literally go baby hill sledding with goats during the winter! I doubt the city allows you to do that. In fact I know it doesn't. I also know, staying in the city will not protect you from getting snowed in. What it will be is much more boring if you find yourself in that quagmire. In the city, there is little to do outside in the snow. Little to do inside. On a homestead farm, there is always a lot to do in and outside. I have lived in both worlds the city in this region and out here. I was snowed in more frequently in the city than I have ever been out here. The snow was all polluted, I could hear traffic trying to do what it did, going out I was constantly nervous about the way the cars would behave if they hit ice on the road too close to me... I was snowed in just as long as I am snowed in here. The snow wasn't even pretty in the city. Just sludgy and dirty. The people, cranky. By comparison, out here, what people? It is just you and your host, the cute farm animals and space and the woods. We hire someone to dig us out. It is rare he can't get it done in a timely fashion. There is room out here to play in the snow. The snow is often far more pristine and pretty. And if you need something to do, we can send you to dig out the mail box. It never fails.... Every year the town plow buries our mail box at some point. We love a good snow forte, snow men, snow angels... Snow isn't something to fear. it is something to embrace. And should you get snowed in out here longer than your planned stay, your extra day is free so you won't be out additional money for an act of the snow gods. I am sure, no city B&B will make you that offer. And you are just as likely to be snowed in there.

We have not one but two wood stoves in public areas, so when you come in from building yourself the magical snow forte you always dreamed of you can warm up by one of them with Pikku the dog. You can even enjoy a cup of homemade hot chocolate, no mix, made right here in the farm kitchen while you hide under a blanket near one of the wood stoves.

If it is travel in the era of covid that scares you, we have very strict covid policies. We don't allow guests who are not fully vaccinated and encourage guests to have boosters. We rarely leave the property, when we do we mask up in public places. We are also fully vaccinated with booster shots. I check cards at the door. This house has not had an unvaccinated person inside since before Covid became a thing. And it has to be this way, because I have asthma. We don't treat the virus from hell like a joke. This place is maintained very carefully to ensure it is a safe haven from the virus. Guests too are asked to mask when they go out into public places. Guests, coming from out of state are required to provide a negative covid test no older than 24 hours old. We check those tests carefully. We do everything humanly possible to ensure both our own health and that of our guests through this nightmare situation and we hope for a day when this ridiculousness will no longer be necessary cuz it stinks. But until that time comes, the strictest covid policies in existence will always be found here to protect you and us. In addition, we operate at half capacity. Meaning, we only rent right now to one guest party at a time. (before covid we could accommodate two guest parties but with my husband working from home, we now have only 1 available guest room.) So you will not be sharing air here with any other guests during your stay, only your fully vaccinated boostered hosts.

If concerned about money... We run on solar power, we avoid plastic when we can, we compost, give old food waste to chickens, use for the most part environmentally friendly cleaners, or homemade house cleaners. In addition, our sheets are always a natural fiber that is considered environmentally friendly. We are always looking for ways to up our game on being good environmental citizens here. So you would be supporting the environment by booking with us. We also donate money every year to a number of environmental causes. In addition, we donate to The Gentle Barn in California a shelter for unwanted and abused farm animals, the MSPCA's horse ambulance program and other programs. We donate to Indian Hill Music School to bring music education to inner city children (to the point that our name is literally on their wall of highly generous people,) our local food pantry.... Feed, Save The Children, and Unicef, as well as our local PBS station. We try to be a place that deserves support and patronage. Even with all this, on top of donating to the AirBnB program for displaced people and even welcoming their Open Homes users into our home most of whom are refugess from war torn regions or people who's homes were destroyed by weather catastrophes, we still keep our prices far lower than other local establishments offering a similar level of quality to ourselves without all the out reach and humanitarian effort. Or in other words, this place is a really good deal for not just you but for everyone.

We do everything here, to create winter fun, winter cozy, to protect you from additional bills due to acts of God (such as a snow storm,) and to protect you from covid. Your comfort is our only concern while you stay. No one else is here for us to even worry about.

Tiny businesses like ours have been slaughtered by Covid. We were closed for most of the last year and a half and when we finally opened again last mid summer at half capacity, we have been fortunate to have regular guests. But then, the last half of November hit, and the old winter emptiness struck. I don't know how we will be able to survive long winters without guests especially right now after all the hits we have taken due to covid. And no, for a number of reasons we did NOT receive 1 penny in Covid relief assistance. We are too small for that. If you are concerned booking on our page because who are we? We could be anyone even con artists without a farm and without an available room just looking to bilk people.... Fair enough we can also be found on one of the most famous well respected sites for vacation rentals, with rave reviews and Super Host status....  Book us here.

We hope you will consider a stay with us if you are coming to the area,
It would mean everything to us.
Thank you for reading
Amanda of Wildflower Farm