Greetings. I’m Laurie Pieper, innkeeper at The Morning Star Bed & Breakfast  in lovely downtown Manhattan, Kansas, USA.

For me, as for many innkeepers, running a bed and breakfast is a second career. I have a Ph.D. in Philosophy and have taught Metaphysics & Epistemology, History of Philosophy, and Philosophy of Religion at several major universities. Occasionally, some readers might detect hints of my past career, but probably not.

When I first started teaching Philosophy, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. At some point, however, I decided that I simply hadn’t been imaginative enough. Suddenly, there were all kinds of things that I could envision doing. Having always loved cooking and gardening, running a bed and breakfast seemed a perfect fit for me. With my career change, I came to appreciate just how nice it is to create an environment where people can relax, be comfortable, and feel well treated.

I envision this blog as reflecting who I am and my efforts (and those of my helpers) to create a special place – one with good food, a pleasant atmosphere, comfortable rooms, a lovely garden, friendly people and easy-going dogs. It is also about Manhattan and its surrounds, the people who stay with us and inspire us, what life is like running a bed and breakfast, and well … what I hope you will find to be other interesting things too.

Thank you for stopping by!