How are you doing with Scruffy Hospitality?

Homestead Hubby

Read this https://www.mnn.com/your-home/at-home/blogs/in-priase-scruffy-hospitality and than ran a search on “Scruffy Hospitality” and read more.

Wondered your thoughts on this as Homesteaders? Do you have people to your homestead?

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dottile46

Grr, had it all typed and it disappeared! Anyway, yes, we do have people over from time to time, mostly family, but on occasion a neighbor. Our house is clean but cluttered and mismatched. If they know us well enough to be at our house, they already know that we march to a different drum than most people. There's going to be washed, empty canning jars on the bar and my laptop on the kitchen table. Grandma's old, circa 1930's, piano bench is going to sit across the room from the Kmart-going-out-of-business pressed wood entertainment center, our granddaughter's toys are going to be under the wood and wrought iron coffee table on the black, brown and beige eagle area rug that sits too far from the antique white couch and loveseat bought at an auction, and probably one of us have kicked off our shoes under the kitchen table that I've had since 1998 and has mismatched chairs.

When I go to see someone and they apologize for their house being a mess I simply tell them, I came to see you not to see your house. That person (or people) is who I am interested in visiting with, I'm not interested in looking to see if you have the latest craze in kitchen cabinets or counter tops, or even if you made your bed when you got up this morning. To me it is still about who you're spending time with, not if they kept up with the Jones's.

shllnzl

I love the thought that people should be comfortable in my home no matter what. My home is a lot of projects in-progress. There is clutter, dust and pet toys. Kitchens and bathrooms get first priority. I do not obsess with housework or I would never have a free moment.

When out-of-town relatives contemplate coming to visit, I tell them they are welcome to stay with us as long as they are comfortable with dust and pet hair. My sister tells me my house isn't that bad and I shouldn't say those things. I would rather warn the extra squeamish in advance rather than have them get grossed out by my 5 pets and want to huffily move to a hotel. (I once had an overnight guest who planned to shower and then suddenly decided not to do so. Was it the skylight overhead, my towels smelled funny or a random pet hair that floated into the tub? The tub had been scrubbed, so ??)

I am frequently keeping people out of my home because it is not company ready. Maybe I will be brave the next time and invite the person in.

Thanks for sharing the encouraging article.

Linda Bittle

I figure that the people I want to invite into my home have to take me as I am. I have pets inside. For some, especially those with pet allergies, that's a problem. If so, we visit at whatever bed and breakfast they stay at. Otherwise, people just have to deal with my mess.

I'm clean, but cluttered.

Also, I rarely make friends with people who don't like pets, so it's generally not a problem.

tomandcara

I am ok with people coming to visit, but not ok with people coming to inspect and judge. If inspection and judgement are their agenda, they can do that without coming to share a meal.

Homestead Hubby

Thanks for sharing. I am all about people and would rather hang out and be in community. In no way is my house dirty occasionaly alot of crumbs from my eat on the run toddler and toys out for the same reason. but overall pretty good. We hate when people make it so hard to get together over these things like this on their end. Hate that isolation seems easier than community