Dear Joanne and Jim,

Several years ago I was working as an innkeeper's assistant at a lovely inn in Vermont. One evening in mid-December I was preparing to light a fire in the fireplace in the inn's parlor. Now the down-draft in that chimney was just awful and you had to really heat it up before you could actually light the kindling and logs. I squatted there at the hearth and held rolled newspaper like a torch up into the chimney while listening to the laughter of a small group attending a private Christmas party in the dining room. I'm afraid that curiosity got the better of me and I really wanted to see what all the chuckles were about in the other room. I prematurely put a match to the wood in the hearth and went to peek at the party.

After just a few minutes clouds of smoke were being pushed out of the fire box by outside air forcing its way down that finnicky chimney. The smoke was thick and the odor made you think the whole inn was ablaze! The party-goers quickly smelled it. One particularly happy guy grabbed a tray off a buffet table and ran out the front door crying "Don't worry, I've got the shrimp!"

Luckily, I knew the routine. I assured everyone that nothing was on fire and that it was just the chimney acting up. I shut off the doors to the dining room and opened all the front room windows. In only a couple of minutes most of the smoke had cleared out of the inn's front rooms. But the remaining smell of smoke was still quite sickening.

Having learned my lesson to not be so nosey, I went back to the front desk--hoping the smell would dissipate before overnight guests began to arrive.

Moments later a couple arrived to check in. The man entered first. He instantly dropped his bags in the hall and held out his arms. I was preparing my apologies for the nasty smell when he inhaled a chestful of air and said "Honey, don't you just love how it smells in the country!"

That's what innkeepers want, right? Guests who appreciate those special touches!

Sincerely,
Karen