Procrastinator...Who ME??

Miss Kaylie - Assistant Innkeeper at Reagan's Queen Anne 

So really?? It has been 4 MONTHS since I was here last? Say it isn't so! So much has happened in all that time. First of all, we've had a good year thanks to all of our wonderful guests. We survived "the drought that wouldn't end". Well, for the most part...several potted plants had other ideas about surviving, but we gave it our best shot. In July, I was lucky enough to get to travel south to pick up our grand daughter, Kaylie, and bring her to Hannibal for 2 weeks. She is the BEST apprentice Innkeeper after her 2 weeks of training. We hosted a lot of guests during her training.  She loves to help us in the kitchen and was also a great help in the laundry room.While she was here, Grandma and Kaylie found time to make a summer dress together. She had her school picture taken in the dress, and I'm sure she told her classmates that she helped make it. Time with grandkids is something that I cherish. So after Kaylie's training, a visit from her cousin Haley and Aunt Gina and a trip with them to St Louis to the City Museum, an AMAZING visit to a farm  in Illinois to participate in banding over 60 Rubythroated hummingbirds(where Kaylie released the very first bird), a few trips to the park to play, and then on her last day-- a trip to the St Louis Zoo, we flew south again to spend time with family and celebrate little brother, Kaden's 3rd birthday! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE spending time with the family. We visited Sea World for Kaden's birthday, and it was AMAZING!

Grand kids at the Manatee tank

We all missed Papa Reagan! Grandpa offered to stay home so that he could run the business. This was no small chore. Not only did he have to host several guests the week Grandma was gone, but he had to make gallons of hummingbird nectar, feed the dozens of little jewels, and clean feeders daily. He also kept the plants watered in the 100 plus degree temps, and made sure the fish were fed and monitored the pond level. He did all of the cleaning, cooking, and hosting! I can't thank him enough for sending me to Kaden's birthday, so that I could enjoy treasured time with the kids and grands. He's a wonderful husband!!

Reagan's Queen Anne Maple Trees 2012 - Hannibal, Missouri

Ok, so that takes us through the second week of August here at Reagan's Queen Anne. August, September, and October, we were super busy and met a multitude of wonderful guests. We were blessed with a gorgeous September and October with the most colorful leaves we have seen in our 13+ yrs in Hannibal. The drought must have been a factor. Fall Folklife Festival was a huge success the third weekend of October. We turned away at least a couple dozen requests for rooms, due to having only 4 rooms to offer. The festival is our most favorite weekend of the year here. If you think it's something you'd enjoy...you better make your reservation NOW. We book that weekend waaaaaaay early. So don't procrastinate! Book it HERE!!

To celebrate Norm's birthday, I insisted that we take a trip.  So we headed south and visited Clarksdale, MS, home of the Blues(the music, not my hockey team). Then we stopped in Natchez and stayed at a B&B with a "million dollar view" overlooking the Mississippi River. From there we headed northwest, to Fort Worth, TX, and spent time with my brother and his family and thoroughly enjoyed NASCAR race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, for the 2nd year in a row. We had a fantastic vacation. The only thing we wished would not have happened, we observed when we arrived home. The pond, with our 8 Koi, Shubunkins, fancy Comets and a Fantail, were barely surviving in just 8 inches of water. They are used to their pond holding about 1000 gallons and being about 3 feet deep!! Dorsal fins were nearly dry on the bigger one, and the pump was within an hour or so of burning up because it was so close to not being submerged. Thankfully, we arrived home in time to save them, and immediately filled the pond. They are all doing well. It was quite scary at first. Several of them were severely depleted of oxygen and veins were visible. But just about 2 hrs after we filled the pond and oxygenated the water, they were all looking healthy. Thank God that we arrived home when we did. Apparently the falling leaves had covered the netting to the point that the fountain was spewing the water over the bank until it was nearly gone! I was so glad that there was not a puncture in the liner. At first I thought that the local raccoon population had knocked a jagged rock into the pond. That was not the case. WHEW!!

Thanksgiving is this week and time continues to FLY by. Happy Thanksgiving to all our former and future guests! May you spend time with family/friends and not eat too much... We'll soon be decorating for Christmas. We hope to see you before the end of 2012, but will certainly welcome you in 2013! Blessings of the Holiday Season to you and yours. Remember that we sell Gift Certificates, which are a wonderful option for gift givers.

And We Thought March Was Unusually Warm...YIKES!

Considering the heat we've endured recently, it's hard to remember that we had such a wonderful Spring, but April and May were truly delightful when it comes to weather and guests. We had sufficient rain to grow the flowers etc, and then came June and a more "desert" like climate. If memory serves, we had rain just twice from the end of May until one day in July! To say that things are dry would be a gross understatement. I'm sure the water company(BPW) will love us, however. Some days, when the temps were around 115-120 heat index, I watered my potted plants twice in one day. They still look pretty, since I was vigilant about caring for them and moved them into the shade on occasion. The same cannot be said for the lawn. It's nearly impossible to find appropriately colored grass anywhere. The midwest heat has been brutal for the past 2 weeks, and as in many midwest towns, set long standing records. As of Sunday 7/8, we're finally out from under that heat wave, Thank God! Now we're experiencing much more normal summer temps and it's a joy to be outside again. We're also seeing many more hummingbirds, now that the heat has subsided. We're hoping to have our usual 2-3 dozen, but it seems our numbers may be down a bit this year. They are still incredibly entertaining and never cease to amaze. I have counted a baker's dozen so far.
Hannibal's National Tom Sawyer Days over the Fourth of July was a big success in spite of the heat. Some of the rides were closed during the heat of the day, but the numbers of folks who came to town were consistent with last year's numbers. Our guests enjoyed all there is to do during the festival. Check it out online and plan a trip next year during our National Tom Sawyer Days. You'll have a great time. And Hannibal doesn't cancel fireworks when there is a high alert for fire. They shoot them off over the river. We heard that there were more folks than usual this year to watch the display on the evening of the 4th, because so many surrounding communities canceled their fireworks due to the high fire hazard. I know of one couple who drove from Athens, IL, specifically to see the fireworks in Hannibal, and they were well pleased with the fanfare.
We've been busy this year and are thankful for all of the calls and reservations. We look forward to meeting you one day. Just click here: www.reagansqueenanne.com and make your reservation to come to Hannibal, and
"Write Your Own Story", in Mark Twain's hometown. Our central A/C is cool and comfy, whether it's 75 or 105 outside.

Ahhh, the Sweet Smell of Freshly Cut Grass...

No doubt about it, Spring Has Sprung! Flowers and trees are blooming, grass is greening, and it is not even April!! I heard this morning that this is the warmest March on record. It's been nice to get to work outside. Friday was the first day that the waterfall was working, and boy does it looks and sound fantastic. That new pump is a powerhouse! Don't get me wrong, the muck and cleanup was gross, but it is so nice to have it working. And you know, I truly think the fish appreciate the waterfall too. They just seem to be swimming more happily. :0) 


So, I'll put in my plug for all the ladies out there who NEED to book Just Girls' Weekend at the end of April! 


Pack up the Sisters, Daughters, Moms, Grandmas, Cousins, Aunts, and Girlfriends, and come stay the weekend at Reagan’s Queen Anne Bed and Breakfast in Hannibal!! We’re centrally located in the downtown Historic Central Park Neighborhood. Shopping, restaurants, galleries and all the fun are within walking distance. We offer double occupancy rooms for 2 guests, and suites which will accommodate as many as 6 guests. Our property has numerous common areas for gathering to chat, card and or board games and do what we girls do best: Giggle! So get ready for some fun. Get your “Giggler” on…and come to Hannibal in April!    Our website: http://www.reagansqueenanne.com/


We still have a couple rooms open. It's such a fun time. 
Check out the link to the page: Just Girls' Weekend in Hannibal, MO 
You can book your stay from our website, or at the following link: Book It HERE!

"POP" Go the Daffodils!

Tuesday, March 6 was the day we saw our first daffodil on the grounds here. It still seems a bit soon since we had such a strange (but welcome) winter. It's time to cut back all the ornamental grasses, some of which are nearly 8 feet tall! They really looked pretty over the winter and with little snow, none of them were flattened down and continue to stand tall with their dried plumes. Our fish are a bit confused too. They're ahead of schedule as well, and have been looking for food for a few weeks now. But they must wait until the water temp is above 50. Surely they noticed that the pond never froze this winter either. I'm looking forward to getting outside to start working in the soil. As of Saturday, there is a little starter flat of heirloom Chocolate Cherry Tomatoes in the kitchen. I'm anxiously anticipating germination. I hope they do well this year. I'll let you know Jules. :0)

Come visit in March. 
We'll celebrate St Patty's Day. 

Loving a Mild Midwest Winter!

February 1st, 2011

From the 18 inches of snow of a year ago, to a winter worthy of "Mild" status, we are grateful for exceptional winter weather. That being said, it will be interesting to see what happens to our flowers which have been fooled into an early Spring, but I'm sure they will do just fine. I must say that we have never seen the Surprise Lilies pop up in FEBRUARY! The leaves are 6 inches tall. The good thing is that those leaves will die back and then the "Naked Lady" flowers pop up in August. Now if we can make it through the next 4 weeks with no extended hard freezing, those Spring emerging flowers will survive nicely. Having been blessed with warmer temps than usual, the Koi pond has not frozen over once this season. The Koi and Goldfish are a bit confused, and come to the surface constantly to see if it is time to EAT. But they too will be just fine with all this warm winter weather, and will be fed when the pond temp gets back to a stable 55 degrees.


As usual, this has been a busy winter inside. We've been cleaning closets and working on room projects to make some typical improvements. Each winter we keep ourselves busy with such fun... It feels good to purge the closets and basement of things that are not needed here, but could be useful to others. We've donated a lot to Good Will, and have passed along some collectibles to others. We are listing things on eBay too. What a great venue to sell and buy, :0)!


Make your plans for summer early. Come see why Reagan's Queen Anne is Top Rated! We're anticipating a very busy summer season in 2012. Here's the link for convenience. Check Availability and BOOK YOUR STAY!

Beautiful Autumn..."Warm" Beginning to Winter

Reagan's Queen Anne Bed and Breakfast, Hannibal, Missouri

This 2011 photo of our two sugar maples in late in October, is a magnificent display of nature's artwork. When all other trees on our street were nearly or completely bare, we still had this beautiful array of color at the front door of our home. These maples are stunning and really look so nice against the paint scheme sported by this Victorian queen. If you are one who enjoys the colors of autumn, be sure to bookmark our website to go back to occasionally, or to see updates next summer and early autumn. We always let folks know what stages to expect of the metamorphosis, which occurs in our regional forests and the local trees noted for "showing off" the wonderful artist's palate of the colors of fall.

We'd like to thank all those who visited this year! Thanks to our wonderful guests, 2011 was another good year. Though we would love to have outstanding occupancy every year, matching 2010 and the two top years preceding that, we knew that eclipsing that would be a challenge in this unstable economy. As we've done since we opened our business, we try to help out by offering lower rates on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We certainly filled rooms a lot during those days this year. So, for all those who will choose to cross the threshold of this beautiful vintage lady called Reagan's Queen Anne, we look forward to meeting you. To all of our wonderful repeat guests, we always look forward to your next booking. We love to hear from our guests, "We feel like we've been friends forever, and are as comfortable as can be in your company." We're looking forward to a great 2012 and providing a cozy, comfy respite for you all in the not-too-distant future! To all of our repeat guests who are participating in our Frequent Stay Program, remember that credit is recorded when you send others too. Just tell your friends, family, co-workers, etc. to let us know that you referred them to us. 

Christmas has passed for yet another year, and this year it was not "White". Time we spent with family helped us forget that Christmas and snow go together like peanut butter and jelly. We enjoyed the Avenue of Lights in Quincy, IL, went to the movie and had fun spending time with family. We're thankful that we have seen only a couple dustings of snow thus far this winter. Our local weather is unseasonably warm for December/January and we are loving it! Now that being said, we do hope for some colder weather to hang around for a bit this month so that our Mississippi River Flyway Eagles will once again dot the skies and trees near the riverbanks with their magnificence. There is a local pair which lives here year round, but local numbers reach into the hundreds of eagles when the river freezes during winter. Check our website for more about our Bald and Golden Eagle visitors by clicking the following: Eagle Visitors near Hannibal

American Bald Eagle

We are working on a few projects, as we do each winter. Our third floor suite will soon have a shower to compliment the clawfoot tub. We'll be doing some interior painting and hauling some things to auction, from closets upon closets full of antiques and collectibles. Rather than keep them packed away, these things need to be enjoyed by others.           

Happy New Year!! Let's hope for an economic recovery that will benefit us all. Blessings, Hope for the Future, and Well Wishes to you and yours. Norm and Judy