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I care about your sleep.
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welcome to bedtime stories for everyone in which nothing much happens you feel good and then you fall asleep i'm katherine nikolai i create everything that you hear on Nothing Much Happens with Audio Engineering by Bob Wittersheim We give to a different charity each week and this week we are giving to
Stray Dog Incorporated.
Stray Dog provides every rescue a healthy, happy life until a forever home is found.
Learn more about them in our show notes.
If our show brings you some comfort, some good sleep, some benefit, and you wonder how you can support us, a free way to do that is just to listen to our ads.
We are grateful to the companies that sponsor our show, and we want them to be successful.
and since I talk so slowly those ads are often just about the right amount of time to brush your teeth dentist approved another way of course is to subscribe to our premium feed you are keeping us alive folks and we thank you for it links to everything in our notes.
Now, in order to keep your brain from wandering so that we can lull it to sleep, we need to give it a point of focus.
And that's the story.
Just listen. let the sound of my voice ease you into a sleepy place.
This is a form of basic conditioning.
So know that results will improve with regular use.
You'll fall asleep faster and return to sleep more easily over time.
I'll tell the story twice, and I'll go a little bit slower the second time through.
Our story tonight is called Valentine's at the Inn, part two, and it continues from last week, a tale of a little romance and a lot of coziness by the lake.
It's also about cinnamon and cardamom, crepe paper streamers decorating the ballroom, and the excitement of a properly planned event about to start.
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Okay, time to turn off the lights.
Put away anything you are looking at or working on.
You are safe, and I will be here, watching over you with my voice.
Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose, and sigh.
Do that again. Fill it up.
And let it out. Good.
Valentines at the Inn.
Part 2. Up in the ballroom on the second floor.
Things were nearly ready.
It was Valentine's weekend at the inn, and we had a nearly full house of lovebirds and sweethearts, ready to clink glasses and wander into the lonely corners of our vast rooms.
Today we'd served breakfast in the dining room and drawing room with fires burning in the grates and flowers on each table Chef had made our famous coffee cake as well as cinnamon rolls and cardamom buns we poured cup after cup of coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice there was a light snow falling
the kind with tiny thin flakes and the sun came out now and then to sparkle on the frozen lake It was romantic There was no argument there But tonight was going to top it Our guests were encouraged to visit town for lunch We put out some soup and sandwiches in the dining room self -service style but we'd
highlighted the excellent cafes and bistros downtown the shops and sites that were perfect for idling away a winter afternoon and thankfully most of them took us up on it because I was a bit like a parent who needed the kids out from under my feet for a bit so that I could set up the ballroom.
I'd had an idea, a little cheesy, maybe, but I hoped it would prove to be both romantic and fun.
We were hosting a little grown -up prom for our guests tonight.
the ballroom was decorated with streamers and balloons flowers and bowls of chocolates I was up on a ladder in the far corner behind the piano twisting the last of the crepe paper streamers into place while my cat Sycamore chased a red balloon under a table.
I'd been telling him about my own prom many years before.
How it had been mostly a letdown.
A night that had been overhyped for years And could not have lived up to all that I'd expected That, in the end, I'd wished I'd danced more Cared less about my hair and dress And just had fun well that's why we're having a do -over called a voice from the hall I smiled to myself as I climbed down from the ladder
Sycamore and I had been alone at the inn for a few months now and i'd forgotten that we could ahem be overheard chef came through the door their hands full of a large tray of desserts i went over to help them set out the tarts and cakes on the buffet by the window did you like your prom i asked they
paused smiling down at the sweets oh come on i knew it you had a blast didn't you you probably had a line of people waiting to dance with you.
What can I say? I've always been popular, they laughed, as they tucked the empty tray under an arm and headed back to the kitchens for more.
Well, tonight, everyone would have fun, would dance as much as they liked, be fed wonderful food, celebrate, and hopefully fall even deeper in love with their person.
Sycamore and I kept at it through the afternoon, And just as I was lighting the candles on the tables, I started to hear gas coming through the entryway downstairs, shoes clapping against the slate floor.
I checked my watch and realized the band would be here soon.
We closed the double doors to the ballroom as we left, not wanting guests to come peeping till we were ready.
We followed the sweeping curved staircase down into the entryway, saying hello to guests as we passed them.
The sun was setting and sending her rose -red glow through the windows.
It burnished the dark wood of the banisters and caught the silvery sparkles in sycamore's black coat.
on the central table at the bottom of the stairs beside the giant fern I'd kept alive for three winters now were urns of coffee and hot tea guests who needed a pick -me -up were filling mugs and we wove past them to the front office where I'd spotted the members of the band we'd hired.
There was a piano player and singer who would serenade us during dinner and then a drummer and guitar player who would join in to get folks dancing afterwards.
Sycamore loves music and had heard the band play for our Halloween party.
He rushed toward them, rubbing against their legs and instrument cases.
I followed and greeted them, taking their coats and leading them down to the library where they could relax and nosh on the snack plates Chef had prepared for them before they took the stage.
I liked this part. Everything was coming together.
Before I'd been an innkeeper, I'd never organized anything more complicated than a brunch reservation.
But now I'd overseen weddings and parties, busy holiday weekends, and summer fates.
tonight I was sure would be magical with dinner, music, and dancing cheek to cheek.
This old place had seen lots of magic over the years and this would be another night for the books.
Valentine's at the Inn, Part 2 Up in the ballroom, on the second floor, things were nearly ready.
It was Valentine's weekend at the inn, and we had a nearly full house of lovebirds and sweethearts, ready to clink glasses and wander into the lonely corners of our vast rooms.
Today, we'd served breakfast in the dining room and drawing room, with fires burning in the grates and flowers on each table.
Chef had made our famous coffee cake as well as cinnamon rolls and cardamom buns.
We poured cup after cup of coffee and fresh -squeezed orange juice.
There was a light snow falling, the kind with tiny, thin flakes, and the sun came out now and then to sparkle on the frozen lake.
It was romantic. There was no argument there.
But tonight was going to top it.
Our guests were encouraged to visit town for lunch.
We'd put out some soup and sandwiches in the dining room, self -service style.
But we'd highlighted the excellent cafes and bistros downtown, the shops and sites that were perfect for idling away a winter afternoon.
and, thankfully, most of them took us up on it because I was a bit like a parent who needed the kids out from under my feet for a bit so that I could set up the ballroom.
So I'd had an idea, a little cheesy maybe, but I hoped it would prove to be both romantic and fun.
We were hosting a little grown -up prom for our guests tonight.
the ballroom was decorated with streamers and balloons flowers and bowls of chocolates I was up on a ladder in the far corner behind the piano twisting the last of the crepe paper streamers into place while my cat Sycamore chased a red balloon under a table.
I'd been telling him about my own prom many years before.
how it had mostly been a letdown, a night that had been overhyped for years and simply could not have lived up to all that I'd expected, that in the end I'd wished I'd danced more cared less about my hair and my dress and just had fun well well that's why we are having a do -over called a voice from the hall.
I smiled to myself as I climbed down from the ladder.
Sycamore and I had been alone at the inn for a few months now.
And I'd forgotten that we could ahem be overheard chef came through the door their hands full of a large tray of desserts I went over to help them set out the tarts and cakes on the buffet by the window did you like your prom i asked they paused smiling down at the treats oh come on i knew it you had
a blast didn't you you probably had a line of people waiting to dance with you.
What can I say? I've always been popular.
They laughed as they tucked the empty tray under an arm and headed back to the kitchens for more.
Well, tonight night everyone would have fun, would dance as much as they liked, and be fed wonderful food, celebrate, and hopefully fall even deeper in love with their person.
Sycamore and I kept at it through the afternoon and just as I was lighting the candles on the tables I started to hear guests coming through the entryway downstairs stairs, shoes clapping against the slate floor.
I checked my watch and realized the band would be here soon.
We closed the double doors to the ballroom as we left, not wanting guests to come peeping till we were ready We followed the sweeping curved staircase down into the entryway saying hello to guests as we passed them The sun was setting and sending her rose -red glow through the windows.
It burnished the dark wood of the banisters and caught the silvery sparkles in Sycamore's black coat.
On the central table, at the bottom of the stairs, Beside the giant fern I'd kept alive for three winters now were urns of coffee and hot tea.
Guests who needed a pick -me -up were filling mugs, and we wove past them to the front office where I'd spotted the members of the band we'd hired.
There was a piano player and singer who would serenade us during dinner, and then a drummer and guitar player who would join in to get folks dancing afterwards.
Sycamore loves music and had heard this band play at our Halloween party.
he rushed toward them rubbing against their legs and instrument cases I followed and greeted them taking their coats and leading them down to the library where they could relax and nosh on the snack plates Chef had prepared for them before they took the stage.
I liked this part. Everything was coming together.
Before I'd been an innkeeper, I'd never organized anything more complicated than a brunch reservation.
But now, I'd overseen weddings and parties, busy holiday weekends and summer fates.
Tonight, I was sure would be magical with dinner, music, and dancing cheek to cheek.
This old place had seen lots of magic over the years.
when this would be another night for the books sweet dreams
