Reagan's Queen Anne Bed & Breakfast

Procrastinator...Who ME?? 19 Nov 2012, 1:33 pm

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! 10 Jul 2012, 2:26 pm

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... 25 Mar 2012, 9:38 am

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! 8 Mar 2012, 2:52 pm

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! 15 Feb 2012, 12:38 pm

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 1 Jan 2012, 9:17 pm

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.

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.           

Sizzlin' Hot Summer 25 Aug 2011, 6:26 pm

Ok, so let's catch up! We endured a very busy June here at Reagan's Queen Anne. Thank you to all the guests who crossed our threshold and allowed us to host them here in this grand Queen. As most weather watchers know, the midwest has been scorching this summer. Following a very wet spring, we've been hot, hot, hot here in the nation's middle.


July was not as busy as we've become accustomed to in years past. We're sure that the economy is mostly to blame. A delight in spite of all this heat and the slower July and typically slower August, is the nearly 3 dozen hummingbirds we have battling for food at our numerous feeders. We purchased larger ones this year, so that we were not refilling 10 feeders daily. All of the 8 oz feeders we have are drained twice a day, and 20 ouncers are the way to go. I believe we've used 50 pounds of sugar this year already and they are nowhere near migration yet. I'm guess-timating that we'll use in the neighborhood of 60-65 pounds before they leave. I sure do love watching them and will miss the air show, and even the daily making of the nectar when they depart. We've never had this many birds all at once and they've been here since the 3rd week of July, so it's doubtful that we have any migratory hummers stopping by for a "To-Go" meal just yet. We also enjoyed a visit at the end of July from Gina, Haley and Karen. We've always had fun when Gina and Haley come and can't wait for them to return! We took a ride on the Mark Twain Riverboat and saw one of the resident Bald Eagles in a tree on the island on the east side of the river. What a cool sight!


Continuing with the heat, August has been brutal. Now I did (personally) get a bit of a break from the 1st-9th, as I was in Florida with Tim, Kathy and the kids. I really enjoyed my visit and wish it would have lasted longer. Norm was a real trooper while I was gone. He fed the fish daily, watered the plants daily, and fed those hungry hummingbirds daily as well. He learned how much work it is to care for those little jewels. He also hosted guests while I was gone for 6 of the 9 days I was away. He did all the cooking, cleaning and handled everything while I was enjoying myself. He came through with flying colors, and plates came back CLEAN! I owe him big time for sending me to Florida for our grandson's SECOND Birthday!

Kaden's 2nd Birthday!! Yummmmmmmm, CAKE!

Shortly after I returned from FL, we made a huge change in the Victorian Rose Chamber. Our talented woodworker, Don, made some new sideboards for our mid 1800's Walnut Eastlake bed in that room, and we converted it to a queen! A brand new Sealy mattress set and our "new" room is open for business. The first guests who stayed in the "new" Victorian Rose said that the bed was heavenly. Our next project is to put the shower in on the 3rd floor Captain's Quarters. That will be completed soon! We're also making changes to abide by safety and fire regulations. That is so important in any business where the public is served. We're happy to provide this enhanced security for our guests.


So, it's back to the kitchen to make more hummingbird nectar. They are absolutely
c- r- a- z- y  today! This is the time when hand feeding them is possible. It is fascinating to be so close to these little miracles of flight.


More next month! Until then...This is one of our male Rubythroats who has claimed the spiral staircase feeder as "HIS". He guards it sitting just above it it on a Hummingbird windchime. They will entertain, in more ways than one!


It's off to the mountain of laundry awaiting me, following a full house last night.

A May to Remember! 3 Jun 2011, 10:40 am

May was a busy month! On the 3rd, Norm and I left by train and headed to Chicago. We then flew from O'Hare to Honolulu on May 4th, to attend oldest son Billy's wedding!! It was great to finally meet Kacey's family and celebrate such a beautiful wedding in breathtaking tropical surroundings. That is NOT a big poster behind them! The flora and fauna surrounding this historic Hawaiian Fish Pond, which connects to Kaneohe Bay and the Pacific, was paradise at its finest.

Billy & Kacey Shreve - Moli'i Pond, Kaaawa, Hawaii

The wedding party!

Don't you feel sorry for these two? They are forced to live in the beauty of the tropical paradise called HAWAII!! I keep thinking how I could grow my tropical hibiscus "outside" year round. Currently, the dozen potted hibiscus bushes and tree we have, are yet to be set out for the summer.


Ahhh, the sweet aromas stay with you for a long time. The plumeria and tuberose were not only beautiful, but sweetly aromatic and heavenly. I can almost smell them now. The bridesmaids wore yellow plumeria leis, and the Moms' leis were tuberose and roses. The men wore tea leaf and kukui nut, traditionally.


So we arrived home on Friday the 13th. Though I'm not a superstitious person, somehow Friday the 13th was not the luckiest for us. Norm was not feeling well a couple days before we left Hawaii and suffered on the flight back. He's well now, but he passed it on to me!! Thanks, buddy! :0) I've had bronchitis twice now this spring! I'm on the downhill side of it now, thankfully, and am feeling about 98% now! We came home to a hail damaged vehicle too...bummed about that.


Something else we did was to bring the rain along with us. No, not really, but it seems that way. Hawaii was unseasonably wet for this time of year, and it seemed to follow us home. We've been waiting and waiting to be able to paint the porch and can't manage more than a day at a time without rain here. I won't even mention the severity of weeds with all this rain. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...so we're doing our best to work outside when weather permits. Maybe a few more appeals to Mother Nature would help?? So if you're so inclined... Thanks! I'm hoping to get the waterfall working again this week, and am hoping I won't need to replace the pump. Those babies are expensive and it seems that about every 4-5 yrs, they need replacing. Ugh...


Our hummingbirds are back in full force!! I've seen 8 of them that I counted all at once. I'm sure the 2 dozen or so will be here after the babies hatch. We have 4 males and 4 females at the least, so that bodes well for having at least 8 more this summer. They are eating a LOT of our home-made nectar. I'm thinking that we'll go through another 40+ pounds of sugar this year.


Business is good, in spite of being closed for about 18 days from the beginning of May, while we were gone and then recovering from colds. So don't delay in making reservations for the summer. It's filling fast! Not much left for Tom Sawyer Days around July 4th, and weekends in general are pretty full already. Our Fall Folklife Festival still has openings, so be sure to reserve your room in a timely manner.


HANNIBAL IS NOT FLOODED! We have a levee system which keeps our downtown dry, and business as usual. Though the flood gates may be in, our Riverboat still runs from a location just a few hundred yards up river. Retail shops etc on Main Street remain open when the gates are in, so don't let that deter you from making your trip to Hannibal this summer. Hannibal is OPEN FOR BUSINESS as usual.


Hope to see our repeats and new guests soon!
Judy and Norm

Our Stormy Midwest Spring 20 Apr 2011, 5:08 pm

Thankfully, Hannibal has been spared when it comes to severe weather. So many places around us were hit with tornadoes and ENORMOUS hail! I saw some photos of hail, which was larger than a baseball! The damage that does to the windshield of a vehicle is phenomenal. We hope that all of our guests have been safe throughout April thus far. Hannibal flood gates are in as of today, Wednesday, 4/20. Not to fear, Hannibal is still OPEN FOR BUSINESS! The Mark Twain Riverboat is still cruising too. Don't let the media scare you into thinking Hannibal is flooded. We have a sturdy and BIG levee, and it protects all things tourism.


As the story goes...April Showers bring May Flowers. Well this year our flowers are EARLY! The spring rains and warm(ish) weather has encouraged things to pop! Our Lily of the Valley(normally flowering in May) is blooming and the aroma is heavenly. We have some beautiful RED tulips and Paper Whites, which are also producing a wonderful sweet smell in the air. We are still waiting to see our first Hummingbird. I'm sure they will be earlier than last year. Cinco de Mayo was the date last year...more than 3 weeks later than usual. I've put 2 feeders out, just in case.


The work continues on the yard and maintenance of this old girl. We began a porch deck project this month, and have been "patiently"(not so much), waiting to finish the painting. Last year I painted most of the porch ceiling and will put a finish coat on in May. We have several porch posts which need to be reset as well. Water wreaks havoc on wood, wherever it has opportunity to sit. Ah, one of the most common maintenance issues with an historic house made of sticks.


Timing...Here's the trick: Work when guests are not disturbed, when cleaning and inside housework is complete, and when rain does not inhibit the work. We're glad that we have so many guests scheduled. That makes it easy to put noisy projects on hold. But we sure would like to get the painting done if the rain would just hold off for a few days at a time. I guess it could be mid May before we can get that accomplished, from the looks of the extended forecast! We are booked full the next 2 weekends, with several guests peppering the calendar on weekdays, and we're thankful! Maybe if it's too wet to paint, I can get some of the yard work done. We killed sections of our yard to get rid of some very annoying and hardy weeds. Now the plan is to reseed and get that nice carpet of green down. Some areas will become flower beds, rather than grass. I'll be setting some plants out in current beds in the next week or so. I have hostas, coral bells, Stella lilies, Peony, hybrid daylilies, bleeding heart, liatris, and various other things that are just right for planting now. I'm excited about what things will look like this summer. Norm said he was buying me some Hydrangea bushes this year too...RED ones! We'll put them in the front where the bushes were removed. We planted some ornamental grasses and hybrid daylilies last year and they look GREAT. I have been contemplating putting some grasses in the median between the sidewalk and the street. We'll see how that goes. Seems that there is never a dull moment here. If it's not maintenance, or getting my hands dirty, it's my role as laundress for the mountains of sheets and towels.


Stay tuned for news about our summer special which will be in cooperation with McDonalds! We'll update you when it goes live.

One of Our Favorite Celebrations and SPRING! 22 Feb 2011, 10:10 pm