Here's a truth. I didn't want to open The Little Tart this
year. Two weeks after my mother passed away I was looking at real estate in
Vancouver
and
Nova Scotia. I wanted to move
as far away from Haliburton as possible.
Bill and I tell people it was our dream to move here, and it
was. But we moved here three and a half years before we intended because my
mother required 24 hour care and we needed a house in a place that would make
it feasible to care for her. Until February
of this year, all of the eight years we have lived here has been about taking
care of my mother and running the business - in that order. There's a hole in
my heart and this beautiful place we live in, for me, has represented
Alzheimer's and loss.
And now that I've bummed you out, let me quickly brighten
things up.
I'm so very glad we opened this year. I'm so very glad we
stayed. This spring, summer, and fall has been quite the wild ride. Besides the
summer that wasn't (due to unseasonable weather) our stove broke down, our car
broke down, and our roof is, yet, still unfinished. Panic? Yes, I think I will,
thank you. But also laugh because it's life and sh - stuff happens and through
it all we discovered the kindness and caring that surrounds us here. Offers of
help and support and kind words of encouragement overwhelmed us through all of
this year's ups and downs.
We have made so many friends and met so many wonderful
people and we certainly have no intention of abandoning everyone who has kept
us here and helped us grow this tiny little pastry shop in the middle of
nowhere. We know you've been spreading the word far and wide so we'll be
sticking around!
We have been asked if we will be opening this winter. The
answer, I'm sorry to say, is no. Not this year. Three months after we were
married, Bill and I went from being a couple, to being a couple of caregivers.
We're going to start our time off with some R&R (and in our case that means
"roof repair"). We have a couple of big jobs around the house we want
to take care of, some personal "stuff" to take care of, and we need
some time to just breathe.
Having said all of that, I cannot end the season
without saying thank you once again for your support, your patronage, and for
giving us an absolutely amazing (sometimes entertaining, puzzling, and downright
bizarre) year. You kept us hopping and run off our feet and even when it sucked
- it didn't. We can't say it enough and we mean it whole heartedly - our
customers are the very best in the world. Bill and I are grateful for each and
every one of you.
Thank you for another wonderful season!
