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Watering   Somtimes it's more then Feeding the Cat and Watering the Plants.  
Doing the Unexpected when House Sitting.

This past year I had two different occasions in which my best friends had asked me to take care of their homes while they were out of town. It's pretty common to take care of each other's houses when one or the other is traveling. However, these were solemn occasions as they were attending a parent's funeral.

In both situations the news wasn't unexpected but the timing was. I received each call with our condolences and the offer to take care of everything at home, for no matter how long they needed to be away. At times of great stress and emotional grief it's comforting to have someone close to rely on...after all isn't that what being a good friend is all about?

From my experience in assisting my friends I realized how grateful they were for the things I did for them while they were away, common things - feeding the cat, watering the plants, getting the mail, and daily checking in on the house. However, it was the unexpected that I did that really got their appreciation and made their homecoming a little easier.

I prepared a homecoming meal. After a long travel day, no one likes to think about coming home to cook, especially with the refrigerator full of bio-experiments, milk past date and leftovers gone bad. So I tossed out the stale and outdated and replaced it with fresh items. I set the table including flowers, wine glasses, and a bottle of vino. Made a salad and desert and a pan of Lasagna, easy to pop in the oven on their return. I put a card on the table of the menu, along with easy cooking instructions and a note of how much we care and how sorry we were for their loss. It was all very well received!

If the occasion arises maybe your friends would appreciate the unexpected upon their return. I've compiled a checklist of common things to do while a neighbor is away that might come in handy.

House Sitting Checklist.
  • Review what needs to be done (ie. Water plants, pick up mail and papers, trash out, etc.)
  • Get out of town contact address and numbers.
  • Be sure to have house keys.
  • Be sure have to alarm codes and passwords.
  • Have access to water, gas and electricity shut-offs.
  • Have access to car keys in case of a fire or weather emergency.
  • If feeding a pet - have feed schedule and vet emergency info.
  • Check thermostat and adjust for weather conditions.

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Cheers,

Annette
President & Co-founder



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