As emails pour in alerting us to cancellations and the companies we have done business with reassure us that they are taking steps to protect us as their customers, it’s time to let our guests know that we are also concerned for their well-being.  We contacted Stickley Furniture to get the best recommendations for disinfecting wood and leather furniture.  It turns out the lacquer supplier assures them that hydrogen peroxide will not harm the finish, but it is an effective disinfectant if it is in contact with the surface for ten minutes, then rinsed off with a clean cloth and dried.  The Stickley representative I talked with, Bob, told me he has a family member working in a hospital and they assure him that the hospital is also using hydrogen peroxide to disinfect.

We will still use bleach to disinfect the Jacuzzi.  We use tea tree oil in our cleaning solution for it’s disinfecting properties.  All cleaning is done while wearing a fresh set of gloves, and all surfaces that are likely to be touched are disinfected between guests.  Sheets, duvet covers, and towels are washed on a sanitary cycle and dishes are given a sanitary rinse and high temperature drying cycle in the dishwasher before being replaced (by freshly gloved hands) in the cottages.

Because the cottages are self-catering, you have the choice of bringing food from home, having groceries ready for you to put the bags in your car at Wegman’s or P&C Fresh, enjoying takeout from many restaurants either delivered here or picked up.

The situation is evolving, and we will make any adjustments recommended by the Center for Disease Control and World Health Organization to safeguard your health and ours.  It is our hope that the response to COVID-19 will slow and eventually stop the virus, saving as many lives as possible.

In this anxious time, we also hope that people will give themselves the rejuvenating gift of time enjoying the beauty of the natural world, to retreat from their everyday worries, and either appreciate their companions or the solitude of enjoying their own companionship.  At a time of disruption, I hope a stay at the Stone Quarry House can help our guests return to their bedrock joys.