Bed buzz!

Mom didn't allow us to jump on the bed.  But once when my sister Lisa and I were small, shortly after we'd graduated to twin beds, we risked trying it anyway. We were supposed to be taking a nap. The beds were new and they had so much bounce. We started off quietly enough on our respective beds, but our exuberance grew as we flew higher and higher, closer and closer to the ceiling. And then I jumped over onto Lisa's bed and, just like a trampoline, my weight wrong-footed her and bounced her into the rough-coat plaster wall. She left some skin and some hair on the wall, and  her shrieks brought in the calvary in the form of our mother.  The damage caused by the scrape into the wall was nothing compared to the trouble we got in for breaking the rules. I haven't jumped on a bed since. (I can't vouch for my renegade sister.)

Today, though, I was sorely tempted. Yesterday, we had delivered wonderful new beds for all the rooms at A Butler's Manor -- sumptuous Sealy Posturepedic Titanium 800 coil mattresses that are as thick and yummy as a fine custard. (Okay, sorry about the metaphor; I'm writing this near dinner time.) Lovely plush mattresses, made up with our heavenly Comphy sheets...oooh, I could just crawl into one of them now. 

But before we made them, I went into Oak Knoll (with its nice high ceiling) with the intention of kicking off 45+ years of ingrained "thou shalt nots" and trying the bed for bounceability but...nope. Can't do it. Can still hear Mom's voice in my ear. I probably require years of therapy.

Trampolines are made for jumping; beds like these are made for wonderful rest and rejuvenation. These ones are sublime. To paraphrase George at the Men's Wearhouse, "You're gonna like the way you sleep. I guarantee it."  

Come check them out!

Quote of the Day:  Sleep is the best meditation. --Dalai Lama

Season Opening

Such fun we had last weekend!

Saint Patrick's Day weekend, the opening of our 2013 season, a houseful of nice folks from three corners of New York State...and Matthew and Mark, owners of Jumping Rocks Photography, here to shoot new and (vastly) improved photos of A Butler's Manor for our upcoming new and improved website. Here's just a teaser of some of the great shots they got in their whirlwind session. We were lucky to get a spot on their calendar -- these guys are booked solid months in advance!

The weather was cold and by Saturday, the sugar-like snow flurries had turned to tissue paper snow that left a dusting of the white stuff on all the greenery visible through the windows. But the fire was blazing merrily and we had yummy cinnamon smells wafting from the kitchen. And let's face it, the three top smells in the world have to be fresh coffee, cinnamon rolls, and bacon. Right?

However, one less than happy note to our return home from our winter sabbatical was finding the extent of tree damage wreaked upon some of our large screen trees. The blizzard that hit Long Island the first weekend of March took down three of our specimen evergreen trees around the pool. We are far from alone. Driving around the area, I saw dozens of tree specialists cutting away the ravages of the winter (and Super Storm Sandy). White pines seem especially hard hit, presumably because Sandy brought saltwater-laden winds to whip the trees and shrubs, but little rain to wash their boughs clean. The tree gurus tell us that there are buds on many of the trees, but the brown needles will remain for probably another year before those buds force the dead needles off. Sigh. So Chris has some tree shopping to do, as soon as it's optimal time for tree planting.

Still, the Manor is standing strong, and we are eager to welcome back returning guests and meet new guests in 2013 -- our twelfth season!

Happy Spring!

Quote of the Day: "If a picture is worth a thousand words, cut the copy, and add another picture." -- Scott Crumpton, White Stone Marketing