Whiteley Creek Homestead

I started the morning by hanging out my first load of laundry this spring season. There are still patches of snow but, with temps in the 50s today, it is melting rapidly. The green grass is a welcome contrast to the landscape’s shades of winter grey.

The table at the corner of the inn’s screened porch is a favorite for bed and breakfast guests to sip an early morning cup of coffee or tea and read the newspaper. Dick and I meet there each day for lunch while our guests are out and about in the Brainerd area. Judd Brink, owner of MN Backyard Birds, will retrieve my feeders from winter storage next week and set them up in various locations on our property. Soon birds will be flocking to feeders outside each cabin, in the yard behind Whiteley Creek Inn where birds can be viewed from several seating areas on the backporch, and from the porch at the end of the 1890 RR passenger car which houses the "Queen of the Meadow Blooms Tearoom" where breakfast is served each morning. Judd keeps my feeders and birdbaths clean and filled all season long with seed, nectar, fresh fruit, and water to entice a varied population of birds to our corner of the world.

Judd has built his business considerably having also added bird guiding to his feeder maintenance service. I am proud to hold the honor of being his very first customer when he opened his new business in the spring of 2007 to offer a service we didn’t have in Brainerd. Judd’s expertise and assistance has helped me build my business by attracting not only birds but guests who are either casual birdwatchers or serious birders. Judd purchases his seed from Brainerd’s Little Farm Market, a business that has been around since I was a little girl. Do you see the circle of support among three businesses in this one isolated example? By supporting our local businesses, the economy in the town where we live goes round and round and benefits everyone. This is so important especially in these challenging financial times.