My favorite recipes...

Probably the strangest event ever, while managing the B&B, was when a couple checked in on Saturday, who had reservations in the Pent House for three days.

Dr. Tony and Cindy lugged in the biggest, heaviest suitcases, and complained that we didn't have anyone to help them carry them upstairs. (Don't look at us, we're 70 years old). And the rule about removing your shoes at the door also bothered Dr. Tony. I don't blame him, as he had to keep putting them back on to go to the car for more stuff.

Beautiful, vivacious Cindy made herself at home in the kitchen. I walked in, and she was helping herself to something out of the refrigerator. "Oh, that's for tomorrow," I cautioned.

She asked if I had special recipes for the bed and breakfast. Oh, yes, I proudly told her. And she proceeded to pull open drawers looking for the cookbooks. Naivley, I showed her my little plastic bagful of recipe cards I bring with me every year.

"What are you going to fix tomorrow?"

"Well, tomorrow is Sunday, and we have a day off, so it will be juice and cold cereal, toast and coffee."

She asked if she could borrow the cookbooks to look at up in their room. Well, why not? "Bring them back by evening," I told her.

Next morning, we greeted the guests, then left them to fend for themselves, as we went to church. We had lunch out with friends, then came back to the B&B for a nap. We had to make up the Bali Hai Room (the one closest to the front door) for guests coming in the next day, so Bob and I took our nap in there.

Suddenly, we heard terrible bumping coming down the stairs from the Pent House. We jumped up and opened the door, and here came Dr. Tony pulling his big rolling luggage straight down the stairs. (And he had his shoes on!) "What's happening?"

Dr. Tony gruffly said, "We're leaving." And didn't offer any explanation. (Mind you, that they had paid only a deposit on the three days, so they still owed the B&B money).

Bob followed Dr. Tony out to the car, and explained the owners' rules. So, Dr. Tony gave him his credit card. So, Bob went in the office to take care of that.

Suddenly, (and I believe that the Lord put this in my mind) I thought about the recipes, and went into the kitchen and opened the drawers. Every cookbook was gone, and my own precious packet of cards was also missing.

I went to the bottom of their stairs and called up to Cindy, and politely asked if she still had the recipe books? "Oh, I might have already packed them! Sorry."

I ran downstairs to their car, and told Dr. Tony that Cindy had mistakenly packed my cookbooks, and could he please open the trunk and retrieve them for me. He grumbled something, then opened the trunk, and the biggest suitcase. I was astonished! It must have had a dozen black pant suits, black dresses, black jackets, all on hangers with price tags still hanging off them. He dug around, and pulled out 5 or 6 of Ruth's cookbooks, and by this time I was furious, so I flopped the suits back, and found my plactic bag of recipes. And there in the bottom of the trunk, was my favorite recipe for Pecan Pie, taken off a plastic bag of pecans. I picked it up, and it curled around my finger. I pointed that finger at him, and said, "I needed this for tomorrow!"

I told Bob about this very odd situation, and he grabbed the camera and took a picture of the car and license plate as they left. Of course, it was a rental car.

I went upstairs to check out the Pent House, and sure enough, a few of Ruth's cute little country decorations were taken off a wall, and the bathroom counter.

We should've, but we didn't report them. I still wonder how many other people they have ripped off?

And Bob calmly said, "I don't think he was a doctor of anything."

(And YOU thought I was going to share some of my favorite recipes!)