Hello from the Castle!  The past few months of the Pandemic have been challenging but we’ve made it and we’re back!  What an experience these months have been!

We hope this post finds you and your family safe and well.
 

The Pandemic

These are trying times for everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic has touched all of our lives, and, though difficult, we are trying to focus on the positive.  Therefore, I have been listening to our guests and their concerns, what they are looking forward to getting back to, and how everyone is adjusting to the new normal.  It is not easy for anyone to get used to this much change all at once and in such a short time. Just yesterday, I was reminded of how we had gotten through a similar situation in the past.  A wonderful guest told me that she was starting a Victory Garden.  I had not heard that term except in a movie or possibly from my wonderful grandmother.  What is a Victory Garden?  I had to Google it to make sure I got it correct:
 

Victory Garden

“Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Germany during World War I and World War II. In war time, governments encouraged people to plant victory gardens, not only to supplement their rations, but also to boost morale. George Washington Carver wrote an agricultural tract and promoted the idea of what he called a “Victory Garden”. They were used, along with rationing stamps and cards, to reduce pressure on the public food supply. Besides indirectly aiding the war effort, these gardens were also considered a civil “morale booster” in that gardeners could feel empowered by their contribution of labor and rewarded by the produce grown. This made victory gardens a part of daily life on the home front.” – Wikipedia
 

A Victory Garden At The Castle!

Then I was encouraged by our guest to start a garden, no matter how small.  Working the soil is very therapeutic. Sharing your own produce with others is an opportunity to check in.  I love the idea!  Even city dwellers like ourselves can put a tomato plant in a pot on the kitchen window sill or balcony.  There’s something to the daily routine of checking on your plant, watering, and caring for it, that can really help a lot in lightening the mood of the current climate.  Why not give it a try?  We are planning a good sized garden at the Castle for the Spring.  I will be so proud to serve our guests something we have grown right here in our own backyard, just as you might be sharing some things you have grown with your own family.
 

Disconnect

We decided to disconnect from social media and the news of riots for a day, and take a drive and a walk.  I felt the exercise to be very therapeutic. The walk really helped a lot.  However you are managing these stressful times, don’t forget the enormous healing powers of Nature.
 

Canning, Anyone?

In other news…  Well, maybe it’s the same news:

I have been getting more photos from friends who are “canning”.  Why is it called ‘canning’ when everything is in jars?  That is a mystery.  Plum jam seems to be what folks are working on this past week.  I have yet to get a jar in the mail, but I’ll keep checking. This work-from-home thing is working out well: I love jellies and jams! Maybe it’s a Midwest thing? Since we are not battling so much heat and humidity here in La Crosse, heating up the kitchen from all this cooking really is impossible.  I would like to give this jelly and canning thing a try.  What about you?

 

Nature Therapy

Please give the nature therapy thing a try in some way this week: take a walk in the neighborhood, sit under a tree and listen to the bird sing, walk the beach if you live near one, or,  if nothing else, just roll down the windows in your car and let in the breeze.

We wish you all safe travels!  Stay well and keep in touch!

Sending love and good wishes from Castle La Crosse to you,

Billy and Brandon