June 2011 Archives

7 Books in 7 Days for $700 at the Irish Inn - The Book Cure for Nurses

By Deborah Sakach on June 22, 2011 2:12 PM
Guest blogger,

Lynn McCreery of the Irish Inn

Chicago, IL - Nurses knock themselves out for other people sometimes several days a week and too often working double shifts.  Several nurses have taken advantage of our Reader's Holiday where we offer them the chance to read 7 Books in 7 Days for $700, all-inclusive.  One visitor came down from Chicago to Carbondale on Amtrak, and she happened to be an African- American Head Nurse in an over-crowded public hospital in Chicago.  She said she either had to come to the forest or check into the hospital herself!  When we picked her up at the Amtrak she could barely walk. The Irish Inn is an Amtrak rail partner, so we provide transport to and from the train station.  She did not want to rent a car or go any further than our pond or take walks in the forest and eat home-cooked meals.  The first two days she didn't leave her bedroom.  The next two she sun-bathed and read on our decks, and by the fifth day she was trekking into the forest and reading for hours down in the canyons or up on bluffs.  By the time she left on the seventh day, she had read the seven books we selected for her and one more!  She said one week in the Shawnee National Forest kept her sanity and restored her physical health.  Many nurses come to The Irish for renewal.
 
Lynn Moore McCreery, MPA, BSW, AA, AS
THE IRISH INN
P.O. Box #97 - 600 Soloman Lane
Ozark, IL 62972-0097 USA
(618) 695-3355 or (618) 695-5683

How to Help Someone Who is Grieving

By Deborah Sakach on June 22, 2011 2:04 PM
Want to really help someone who is grieving?  Here's something that reflects the Jewish tradition of "Sitting Shiva" where friends and family "sit" with the berieved in silence communally.

To help your friend, take them to a beautiful place and give them a fresh perspective and give them time. Time apart and time alone yet in proximity of friends is a proven way of healing. This practice can help to heal a broken heart, a loss of a loved one or even a disappointment in a career. Here's a letter we received from Shirley, Cheri & Joel guests of the Irish Inn in Illinois.

"Thanks so much for your kindness to our family and pets. It helped me so much being here at this beautiful place. Since I lost my husband in April, it was wonderful for me to find a place of peace. He would have loved it, too!  You are God sent. I am so glad my children brought us to your beautiful chalet and the surroundings of this lovely forest. May God bless you both, always. Brian's breakfast was great, and it was so nice to meet you, now two new friends. Thank you for everything. I found some peace here!"

Truly when we are at a loss to help, this can be a way to soothe your dear ones in loss.

What Does a Single Person Vacation Look Like

By Deborah Sakach on June 22, 2011 11:28 AM
Guest Blogger
by Lynn McCreery, innkeeper       

Hi Deborah:  I am writing you from the top floor of THE STONE HOUSE B&B in Chester IL - what a gorgeous view of the Mississippi River I am enjoying  from my perch here.  I could write for days and never get tired.  The breeze from the River is soothing and cool.  

(Lynn visits many inns in her role as innkeeper and human being who also needs getaways)

We have MANY single female travelers come to The Irish Inn, so I will tell you about them.   The common threads are that these are women looking for rest, revival, communion with nature, and often a place where their pets are also welcome and can be active participants in their holidays. In the one case, reading was an important part of the holiday. 
 
1. Vacation with Pets      Champaign, IL - An energetic scientist manages research and development activities for a Fortune 500 company and looks for places where she and her dog can stay, play, and get away!  The Shawnee National Forest was great for them. They went hiking near waterfalls, through the rock formations at Garden of the Gods, down to the Ohio River, to several wineries, and brought food and wines home to The Irish Inn each night. This visitor was not here to meet new people, but to commune with nature and decompress.  She chose The Irish Inn because it seemed far out in the wilderness, her dog was welcome, and they could go everywhere on the day tours we designed for them. Going on vacation with pets is a common thread with some of our single female travelers.
 
2. Spiritual Retreats - Des Moines, IA - This retired actress, dramatist, and Humanitarian chooses her retreats very carefully.  She looks for "Zen" places she can visit with her greyhound, Daisy. She has visited a farm run by cloistered nuns where all the guests worked on the farm, prayed, and did their own creative works in between these activities.  She chose The Irish Inn because we were in a wilderness setting, were pet-friendly, and she was looking for quiet natural surroundings to practice yoga and bring her own body and spirit back into balance.  I took her to the Quilt Museum at Paducah, Kentucky, and there is even a "zen" in quilting. With each stitch and the concentration on it, a person can find inner peace.  She talked to the very old ladies who were sitting in the lobby at a quilt rack quilting by hand the old-fashioned way.  Getting to connect with other women on spiritual journeys is one of this very interesting lady's goals in her travels.
 

Lynn Moore McCreery, MPA, BSW, AA, AS
THE IRISH INN
P.O. Box #97 - 600 Soloman Lane
Ozark, IL 62972-0097 USA

 
 

$100 Off if You Drive a Prius or Other Hybrid - Vermont's Black Bear Inn

By Deborah Sakach on June 22, 2011 10:57 AM
prius.jpgAs a Prius owner I was really taken by this offer - $100 off of a summer stay. That would be plenty motivation to get me there and I absolutely LOVE the Black Bear Inn in Vermont near Stowe. I even like their nod to non-Hybrid drivers. Here's what they are offering.

Stay any three nights this summer at the Black Bear Inn, and Hybrid vehicle drivers will receive a $100 gas card, all other vehicle drivers will receive a $50 gas card at checkout! Valid May 30 - Sept. 15, 2011. Not valid holidays, with packages or other specials please. Card will be for a national gas retailer.  Come relax in our mountaintop retreat and SAVE!
« April 2011 | Main Index | Archives | July 2011 »

ILoveInns

iloveinns.com home page

Search

About this Archive

This page is an archive of entries from June 2011 listed from newest to oldest.

April 2011 is the previous archive.

July 2011 is the next archive.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.