We are not only a Bed and Breakfast, we are an Urban B & B and excited about it. At an Urban B & B, you can expect all the  pampering of a B & B with the convenience of the city. Eight beautifully and individually decorated rooms at a 100 year old completely restored Arts and Craft former hotel……with a 100 year history to enjoy.

Both vacationers and business travelers fine the Historic Heights a place to call home away from home. Not only do we see that you get to where you want to go each day, we are life long residents of this area and can help you figure out where you want to be and the best way to get there.

Downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul, National Sports Complex, Mississippi River way or Bird Watching, we are close by and will help you get to activities you love.

We can direct you to American, German, Mexican and Mid Eastern cuisine, we have tried it all and will only direct you to the best. Want something downtown, that is our specialty.

After attending a Memorial Day Service at Lakewood Cemetery Monday morning, we, at the Historic Heights, are hosting a 31st extended family birthday party, Kansas City style.  The birthday girl and her Dad want to have a big family party like they remember having when she grew up in Kansas.

This will work very well as we have enough space for hopscotch, badminton, basketball,  card tables and soccer games.  The food is a combination of catering the meats consisting of dogs, brats, chicken wings and ribs.  As is the custom, each family brings their favorite dish to share.   There will be a big Birthday Cake.

This is a very musical family and there will be music all afternoon.  The neighbors are musically minded too and will attend the party.

As an Urban B & B, the Historic Heights is a perfect place to have a large outdoor get together.  We have lots of space and the convenience of being within blocks of downtown Minneapolis.  Some people plan to arrive by bus.

I am off now as I want to get some more flowers planted!!!

Summer arrived in one day.  Yesterday, we were planning for and very excited about getting to 80 degrees.  By 5:30 PM the radio reported it was 97, windy and dry…..a record for the date in history and “kind of like Arizona” they reported.  Same for today and tom0rrow.  Meanwhile, Greg and his helpers are  building the hardscape for the new gardens and pergola and having fun doing it.

The landscaping will be done and the flowers planted by Memorial Day as we are hosting a big family birthday party for a guest.   We all agree it takes a deadline to get the bigger projects completed. 

Stay tuned for photos.

Finally, the weather has changed to sunny and warmer.  The vegetable seedlings Greg planted and nurtured under lights and warm fans in the basement over the last six weeks can be planted.  The soil is ready and we are ready to watch the plants grow.

Tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, squash, peppers and lettuce will all find their way to the garden today.   Kathy watches over the herbs and flowers. 

Last year at the B & B, we served a fresh tomatoes and zucchini Frittata for breakfast.  Guests were invited select their own tomatoes and zucchini from the garden.  Great fun and lots of smiles.  We plan to do the same and more this year.

Historic Heights B & B and Events has recently partnered with Georgie Zurek and her company Special Tymes Tea Parties to hold regularly scheduled Teas at the B & B.

We received several requests about whether or not we were going to hold Teas for special occasions. So when I met Georgie in my yard at an event her nephew was attending, we started to talk. The result is within two weeks we will have a schedule with prices to publish.

Stay tuned, there will be a special event for Mother’s Day in May, 2009.

The first Friday of each February is set aside to raise awareness of heart disease in women. One of the ways we honor the day is to wear red, wear red anything. We want red to become the color associated with women’s heart disease like pink is for cancer.
Many are surprised to learn that heart disease causes more deaths of women annually than all types of cancer combined. Education is the key to moving women to action. Women tend to pass off symptoms, instead going on with their busy lives.
And remember, if you are not feeling well and you do decide to get checked out, do not drive yourself to the hospital. Instead call 911. That way treatment will begin on the way to the hospital and the ER will be prepared for your arrival. With heart disease, time is the enemy. The more time before treatment begins the greater the chance to destroying irreplaceable heart muscle.

We are celebrating Valentine’s Day at the Historic Heights with a romantic dinner, complimentary champagne and flowers, gourmet breakfast and lots of time to be together. Price is just $149 per couple. If interested, make your reservations now.

But what is the history of this special day we celebrate once a year? We find there is not one history everyone agrees to but several. Let’s take a look at one of the ideas today and others over the next few days as we get close to the day when red hearts, flowers and chocolates say I Love You to almost everyone.

The history of Valentine’s Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

More tomorrow on the blog.

Did you know we express our love for another person in a variety of ways? And how we feel love from another is different also.

Dr. Gary Chapman categorized the way we give and receive love into 5 categories as follows:

1.Words of Affirmation-compliments, encouragement, requests rather than demands.
2.Quality Time-spending time together sharing, listening and participating in joint activities.
3.Gifts- visual symbols you care, showing the relationship has value.
4.Acts of Service-should be given and received freely, not coerced.
5.Physical Touch-from the lightest touch on the arm to the most passionate kiss.

As we think of what we want to do for Valentine’s Day to show the ones we love how we feel, knowing what is their Love Language is important. Dr. Chapman has written a book titled The Five Love Languages. It is a fun read.

We Minnesotan’s love our winter. It gives us bragging rights with our friends and family who live in the warmer climes. Most of all, we like it because we can snowmobile, ice skate at neighborhood rinks, ski, go tobogganing, ice fish and hang out at the St. Paul Winter Carnival.

But alas, tomorrow it is forecasted to warm up above freezing for the first time in 2009. We will see hearty Minnesotan’s walking outside with their coats open, hats and gloves in their pockets enjoying the nice weather with a smile. A smile because we know the temps will fall again and we can get back to that fishing hole in the ice.

Join us at the Historic Heights B & B and Events. It is warm a cozy here, especially near the new fireplace.

What can you do in Minnesota that cannot be done in Florida? Yep, you can move your home from an island to the mainland.

The house weighed 60 tons and was placed on dollies with 64 tires under the house. A huge tow truck attached a cable to the dollies platform and eased forward to prepare for the move.

The questions were many. Would the two foot thick ice hold the 120,000 pound house as it moved across the ice? Will the dollies stay under the building in just the right places while moving the house, thus distributing the weight of the house evenly? Onlookers joked about the largest, most luxurious “ice fishing house” on the lake.

“The truck tugged, the house crept and the move was on” reported the StarTribune. Twenty five minutes later the move of 100 yards on the ice was successfully completed.

To watch a video of the move, go to startribune.com/video