The beauty and peace of this iconic home is a natural place to let the "peace and quiet" open a place in your mind for new thoughts and ideas.  A small respite from  all the cares and concerns of daily life.  And we welcome you to take some time do this. 

Upcoming in the weeks ahead I will be introducing "books" that have  been impactful in my life and one that we would like to share with you some weekend when there are others who would like to begin this journey.

These  books are proposed as wonderful Retreat Weekends and a time to learn, grow and build relationships.   Your Weekend Getaway will begin with Friday night sunset, snacks and games, and an introduction to the featured book.  After a good nights rest we will gather for a hot breakfast and another session and time for discussion. 

We will explore main street and enjoy lunch.  We will meet for another session and discussion and then enjoy the Tallgrass Preserve hiking trails.  We will gather for dinner at another one of the excellent restaurants.  And meet for another session and discussion. 
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We will meet again for hot breakfast and enjoy one of the wonderful local church services.  We will meet one last time  for lunch and our final discussion before returning to our normal lives.  I guarantee you will feel refreshed and ready to face the challenges in your life.  Thank you for your consideration and I hope you will reach out soon to schedule a retreat at Spring Street Retreat. 

It is going on 10 years that we found Spring Street Retreat.   Taking on the project was certainly scary.  But, I am so pleased how it turned out.  We have hosted many guests.  And all have been so wonderful!  It has been a pleasure and joy to meet our guests and to prepare a hot breakfast for them.  It is wonderful and unique home that is a joy to care for.  And perfect for people visiting the the Tallgrass Preserve and enjoying some time in the beautiful Flint Hills of Kansas. 
 
Thank you to all of our guests and the amazing community.  It is a community full of "community spirit", love, care and concern for neighbors.  It is the merchants, restaurateurs and artists working hard and risking capital and time to provide a delightful stroll down the iconic main street finding made-in -America treasures.  It is the people living and working to provide an excellent education.  It is the people working to provide medical care.  It is the city and county workers taking care of community property and people.   It is an agricultural area with much work and investment yields its bounty each year of cattle and grains that are enjoyed all over the world.  It is solid rock that has been used to build many structures and roads.  It is all the others who have found a variety of livelihoods and a safe place to live. ​
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We wish all our neighbors and guests the best and many blessings this year.

Twice each month musicians gather on Friday evenings to play and learn together.  It is even more than that.  People love to come and listen and enjoy their talents and skills.  

Last meeting was also celebrating 25 years of Friday night music.  It was a super special evening honoring Sue and Monty Smith who were the first host at the Emma Chase cafe and Bennie Holtsclaw a well known musician who joined in for many years.  It was wonderful to again hear Bennie's traditional closing song the Lighthouse.
Annie Wilson shared with me her comments which were so well spoken that I wanted to share with you in this blog.  
“Culture” is a funny word.  When I was a kid, I wondered:  what does it really mean?  I’ve learned through life, it’s pretty simple:  It’s what people do with their lives, and how they do it.  This event has become part of the culture of the Flint Hills - a gathering of people to create and enjoy homemade music by local musicians.  It’s not rehearsed, not commercialized, not broadcast – we just come together and it happens.  In this day and age, that’s pretty special.  People have told us:  “There is nothing like this – anywhere else.” 
Together, we have created a “culture” – and a really positive one at that.
What has this event done for us?
We hope for our audiences, it has given you an authentic experience seeing performances that may not be perfect but are real. Musicians from this region sharing their love of music with you.  We hope you are entertained!
For us musicians, it gives us a chance to perform – in front of a kind, respectful, appreciative audience.  This isn’t like playing in a bar, where people are talking while you play, are barely listening, and seldom clap at the end of songs.
Instead here, people are quiet and listen, and even if you messed up a little, they smile and clap at the end of your song.  It means the world to us musicians – most of whom are actually pretty nervous and shy.  
So thanks to all you listeners for coming and supporting us.  If it weren’t for you, this would not be happening.  In fact, can I take your picture here for a minute? [snap photo]
So musicians, let’s all give a hand to thank our Friday Night audiences –the best in the world! [applause]
Another thing this event has done for us musicians is allow us to learn musically from others – new songs, new instrumental and singing techniques.  This is the best music classroom in the world.  

What a wonderful weekend it was as all the participants and their families gathered to celebrate another year of inspiration.  We gathered at the School for Rural Culture and Creativity.  As always there was a wonderful locally grown and prepared meal.  Also great music on the lawn and the children enjoying the playground.  Applications are due this week!

​I enjoyed Kelly's comments so much and asked permission to share these.  ​"this event comes around every year, it creates so many good excuses to pause and
reflect on the state of things. We’re in the middle-end of fall harvest season and reaping the
fruits of labor from the year; we’re usually on the cusp of a transition to crisp and chilly
weather; Friends an d neighbors have shown up in a big way to make the events of this day
happen. There’s a lot to celebrate today and it feels big. But, in many ways, Matfield Green
is also characterized by its smallness. 49 residents, last I heard. Here we are, people
gathered in one school gymnasium in rural Kansas in a county that doesn’t have a grocery
store. What’s the significance of what we’re doing here today?
According to the Geneva Academy’s website, they are currently monitoring at least 110
armed conflicts, worldwide. Many of these we don’t see in the news, but what we do see is
devastating. More than any other time in history, we can witness the pain of people on the
other side of the globe, directly from the palm of our hands. We can see in real time
someone’s livelihood being consumed by flood waters. Regardless of how the talking heads
choose to analyze and spin narratives around these events, what remains powerful, I think,
is the direct connection to those individual stories of real people. I also think it’s hard to be a
mindful human in the world today, with overwhelming access to so many stories when so
many of them involve real loss and heartache. I do also want to acknowledge that we’re
gathered today on the ancestral lands of the Osage, Sioux and Kickapoo peoples and the
stories of this place that we’re adding to today in many ways start with the dispossession of
land. But, I guess I’m saying all this because these stories don’t flow one way. We receive
news and stories, but we also create them. If we have the ability to learn about someone’s
community on the other side of the world, then chances are they have the ability to learn
about ours. I believe that small movements can lead to big changes, and small communities
can model more sustainable ways of living.

Whether we’re revisiting history or family legacies in light of our own experiences like Averi
Israel , Canese Jarboe and Colleen Thurston; delving into the relationships between self and
place like David Wayne Reed, Poppy DeltaDawn, Kayla Romberger and Madeline Cass; or
creatively casting vision for new futures like Christopher Williams and Veronica Anne Salinas
– I believe this is important work and what we’re doing here today matters quite a lot."

It's that time of year!  Time to start training for spring rides.   Sunny winter weekends are perfect for this.  The Flint Hills Trail at Council Grove is ideal for a long Saturday bike ride.  Enjoy all the comforts of home and relax in our beautiful guesthouse with complimentary hot breakfast.  The veranda's are perfect for this too.  The merchants on main street are super friendly and enjoy meeting all those who visit town.  So many unique and wonderful things and works of art.  Plan to take some time to getaway to a place that is quiet, safe and friendly.  Enjoy the sunsets on the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway and remember the Tallgrass National Preserve is open all year around and we are too.   We offer our special 4 Season Getaway and a free fourth visit.  You will be glad you did!

Our guests enjoy this favorite place.  The front porch of Spring Street.   In the evenings it is delightful to listen to the band playing down the street at the Ireland Football Field.  It is a wonderful place to listen and to enjoy all the hummingbirds sipping on the Rose of Sharon's that decorate the front.  You may also notice the 12' tall sunflowers.  

This week I learned the Rose of Sharon is a hibiscus plant.  They typically are white and pink.  Lavender and blue are not as common.  Our Rose of Sharon's seem to to be lavender on the south side but in the shade of the giant elm tree.  I am on the lookout for Rose of Sharon's that are genetically lavender.  Rose of Sharon's are great propagators.  In the Fall I love to use a sharp shooter to transplant them. 

Planning on more at Spring Street.  It is such a joy to make garden plans.  Dreaming of the native grass area for next year and plans to encourage them, sunflowers along the inner edge, coneflowers on the outer edge.  

Hope everyone had a good week.  Hope to see you soon at Spring Street Retreat.  We offer the 4 Season Getaway and the 4th visit is free.  We also often offer free breakfast on weekends.  We also are a guesthouse all week long.   Have a great weekend!  Enjoy this wonderful time of year.

January is a special retreat month.  These weekends are created to  gather your friends who enjoy learning and doing what you enjoy doing.   We have a special January weekend rate of $400 plus local taxes.  10 maximum.  Includes Friday and Saturday night.  It is a guesthouse with no breakfast provided.  And a  $100 cleaning deposit.   This is refundable if you provide the housekeeping.  We have a few suggested retreats.  But you are welcome to plan your own.  Spring Street is the perfect retreat house.  Unique comfortable  and large.  We have a breakfast table for 10 perfect for coffee and chatting each morning.  Our living area and craft room are wonderful for working and creating.  The Tallgrass Preserve and main street are ideal for getting a little exercise too.  Our friendly merchants love to visit with guests. 

Please call today to schedule your weekend  retreat 316-393-3194.

I cannot be more excited for this beautiful time of year and the neat things happening in the Flint Hills.  This Saturday Pioneer Bluffs is hosting a concert at 2:00.  Guests will get to hear the songs of Patsy Cline by Kim Coslett.  It will be a wonderful afternoon on this historic and beautiful farm and ranch.  Also nearby at the McBride studio and at the Rural School for Culture and Creativity there is a 1:00 talk and a 3:00 poetry reading.  It would be perfect to pack your picnic and enjoy an afternoon and this wonderful time of year.  

And then the next Saturday Symphony in the Flint Hills has organized a great musical event for the whole family.  Activities and meals provided  for a great day of camp and music.  It is a great deal.  The location is perfect at Camp Wood located just west at Elmdale.     Here is a picture of this beautiful camp.  The day concludes with music by the campfire.  

We have guest rooms available so please call me to put your name on a guest room  316-393-3194 or email [email protected].

Please join us for a perfect weekend getaway to our unique and beautiful home.  The perfect weekend includes a Friday afternoon drive on scenic 177.  Evening sunset.  Music on main street.  Rest in a spacious guest rooms with  king size bed.  All the comforts of home.  Hot breakfast in the morning.  Coffee on the veranda.  Visit with  merchants on main street.  Delicious local restaurant lunch.  Hike the Tallgrass Preserve to Sunset.  Another amazing meal at one of the numerous restaurants in the area.  I  am happy to share all the options.  Time to rest and relax.  French toast, bacon and sausage ready the next morning.  Several local church options.  Return to your life refreshed and ready for a great week ahead!  Thank you for being a Fan of our FB page.  Please remember to check in with us every season for a great Weekend Getaway.

At Spring Street we have a library to share.  A Weekend Getaway is a  perfect place and time  to read a book.  You can take a book along to a  scenic overlook, or the fishing lake,  or on your picnic,  or your hike for when you stop to rest.  One of our books is the Get Your Life Back by John Eldredge a long time and well known counselor and author.  He writes about ways to navigate current culture.  He suggests between appointments and meetings to take a "One Minute Pause" for the transition needed in order to be ready for the next thing.  This will be of help physically and emotionally to handle a busy schedule.  I am choosing 2 affirmation statements for myself and actually adding them to my calendar at 2 predetermined times that I need to make a transition each day.  This one minutes includes a deep inhale and my  affirmation and then exhale and another  affirmation.  He would suggest this instead of checking social media and emails during these times.  Give yourself these positive affirmations each day and you will be glad.  

We have many Weekend Getaway times available.  So please call 316-393-3194 to reserve your Weekend Getaway.  I am happy to help you.