Where Excellence & Humor Meet the Road...with Experience!!

About this sitter

An active retired gal in my 70s (the new 50s!), I do love birds, nature, camping, traveling, hiking, new cultures, and meeting new people/animal friends. Trying to take in what the LOCALS recommend experiencing always seems best. God has blessed me with a fabulous life of adventure for 41 years together before losing my husband this spring, but he made me promise to keep making new adventures.
House sitting continues offers a perfect opportunity to combine all of these elements while providing a trustworthy solution to another person's needs. I remain a non-smoker and non-drinker, with a strong work ethic and a deep respect for others' property.

Why they want to house sit

That's easy---there are 2 major reasons.
1. Even tho I hail from beautiful Washington state now (after 36 years in Folsom Ca) I find house sitting the best low cost alternative for travel there is, with bonus cuddles. My preference is for something two weeks or less, but I’m open to shorter sits if you’re closer to Kelso where I live. Granddaughter and my 17 chickens kind of rely on me for babysitting duties.
2. I’m thrilled to "love on" other people's beloved pets without the responsibility of permanent ownership thereof ( we owned/cared for many critters over the years, including snakes, goats, pigs, chickens, dogs, frogs, horses, cats, rabbits, gerbils, rats, mice, birds and fish).
3. Since I’ve "done my time" over the years hosting holidays, etc, I much prefer to provide service so that others can enjoy their holidays without worry.

Their experience

Ohhhh, yeah. Numerous months of house and/or pet-sitting over the years for people, family & friends has been easy in comparison to what I call the "Flagstaff years" prior to 2012.
For 7 years, my husband and I volunteered for months-long stints at the former Royal Inn in Flagstaff Az. Strictly non-alcohol and non-drug, the Inn served mainly the disenfranchised of the area (homeless families, stranded travelers, and recovering addictive personalities) by being partnered with Inn Transition, our daughter's non-profit organization.
Left to run the 24-unit property alone (sometimes for days at a time), we were responsible for managing the motel; the somewhat unusual residents, and whatever situations or problems arose. Typical duties included shoveling snow off roofs at 2 am, dealing with major mental incidents, instant plumbing leaks, giving residents rides to doctor appts or work (at 4 am if necessary), filling linen/laundry duties --whatever was needed. (Our remodeling, cooking and carpentry skills really got put to the test. . . we called it "the Royal Inn & Spa" because we always lost so much weight when we went there!)
Having also assisted in our son's commercial janitorial business for several years, efficient cleaning really became second nature.

What can they bring to the assignment

My pledge to you is to provide loving, responsible and intelligent care for your pets, home, garden, and property. Calm in a crisis, I am always dependable, and have a strong "can-do" attitude. I always bring common sense to all my endeavors above ALL else. Your fur children (scaled, feathered, what-have-you) deserve to have the best StayCation they can while you're gone, right?
It's also fun to share and compare travel experiences and home design skills with anyone interested or curious.
The sense of security you'll gain with my presence on your property will enable you to fully enjoy your time away from home, knowing your pets and plants are happy!