What an authentic Thanksgiving Paul and I had this year. It was quiet and relaxing and greatly appreciated after what can best be described as a tumultuous time in our lives. We finished up the last of the leftovers in between unpacking, organizing, and Sunday paper reading. It occured to me that, after days of eating the same meal over and over again, it was indeed time to move on. Food as metaphor.
Today, I am researching all things caretaking. There is so much more info out there now! When I was caretaking in my early twenties, it was word of mouth alone…no forums or links to articles or websites (that I knew of, anyway). Still, I managed to keep myself busy; oftentimes I would go from sit to sit.
Now it is easier to find quality caretaking jobs/caretakers than ever. And no, I am not getting paid by anyone in the industry to say this – I am just a big fan of living simply and within one’s means (better late than never). Anyway, here is the link to the interesting NYT article…
www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/greathomesanddestinations/15caretaker.html?_r=1
Pretty cool, eh? If you have any great pieces of information on this subject please let me know. My goal is to have this site be an interactive point of reference for anyone interested in caretaking as well as a great way to keep in touch with everyone while on our caretaking adventures…
Here it is, another Sunday. Paul is off to pick up a newspaper and some bagels. I am sitting in the living room with Milo, who is enjoying his second nap of the morning. It is the day of rest, after all. My plans include reading the paper, taking down the Halloween decorations, doing a bit of cleaning, hanging with the dogs (Ty comes home today!) and writing letters. Yes, writing letters. Pen on paper. I’ve always said I love receiving letters…especially tucked into a card that has been picked out or sometimes even made (thank you, cousin Jenna) just for me. I have three big boxes full of letters and cards, and wedding invitations, and birth announcements that have been sent through the years. No, I am not a horder in general – just in love with all things handwritten. Old photos intrigue me also. Sadly, I haven’t had to buy a new letter box for over a decade…which is around the time we all started taking this whole e-mail phenomenon so seriously. There are many ways to keep in touch nowadays…still, I miss the handwritten letter. Do you?
Last night, I signed back onto Facebook after several months on the wagon. I wanted to see pics of my friend Suz’s new house and all of the Halloween costumes I knew would be posted. Hours later, I thought here I am again, feeling like an addict, unable to pry my face away from the screen. I love the concept, it is just overwhelming and time consuming with all of the extra stuff. I want to keep in touch without feeling obligated to answer interview questions and get poked and quizzed and join everyone’s cause and on and on. I know one is supposed to be social media savvy these days, especially when one owns her own business, etc. It just seems like a bit much. Twitter, I feel, would only add fuel to my ADD fire. Linked In seems a bit stuffy. Am I missing something?
In my perfect world, all of you would have a blog. I love blogs. They allow me to really get to know a person/entity at my leisure. They oftentimes entertain, inspire, and sometimes even motivate. I know not everyone fancies themselves a writer or a techy-type, but I honestly find blogging to be simpler than all of this other stuff (WordPress for Dummies might have had something to do with it, too) . And it doesn’t have to be along the lines of Shakespeare (obviously). Setting up a blog is easy and free, in most cases. Are you thinking of starting a blog? If you already have a blog, would you share it with me please? Perhaps I will get around to writing letters to all of you. In the meantime, feel free to read my blog. If you comment, I will comment back. It’s fun!
Missing You, Sweet Kritter Kat
It has been a fun week since I last blogged! We are meeting new people every day and becoming more and more familiar with our surroundings. The dogs seem to be taking a liking to us in their own shy Greyhound way, and we are loving having them for company. Most everyone we strike up a conversation with is intrigued with the idea of us taking a long-term caretaking job 2000 miles from home. Different people ask different questions, but the two that I have heard over and over have been “Why Are You Caretaking?” and “How did you find this position?”. In this blog, I will address the “why”.
Paul and I have spent the last several years living in his house in lovely Evergreen, Colorado. We have had many a conversation around where we would go once said house sold. Originally, we considered buying a smaller home in the area, but as time went on our talks evolved. We day dreamed of living by the sea (something Paul has always wanted to do and that I always loved); maybe moving to the Pacific Northwest (I’ve been drawn to Oregon/Washington ever since I started my own bath and body products business)…we even talked of opening a cafe with antiquarian books and exquisite handcrafted soaps (made by yours truly, of course), in Tuscany, Italy. Our storefront would be an old villa, and we would live in the quarters above – that kind of thing. Ahh, Tuscany…OK, I am back now. Basically, we had many an interesting conversation about the pros and cons of buying versus renting and staying put versus experiencing something new. So many possibilities!
During one of these conversations, I mentioned to Paul how I spent my early twenties house and pet sitting throughout Southern California (come to think of it, I was house and pet sitting for my friend Tony in Conifer, Colorado when Paul and I first met in my early thirties). This allowed me to have animals in my life without the years-long committment of adopting my own (I am all for adoption – I’ve just always moved around so much). Also, I was able to stay in places that I would not have known about otherwise, and could not have afforded to rent on my own, much less buy. And I met very interesting people who then referred me to other interesting people. My only real limitations were geographical, as at that time I had two jobs and college classes to commute to on a daily basis. That, thankfully, is no longer the case. Anyway, Paul and I got to talking about the possibility of us caretaking as a couple. We actually came up with lots of pros and very few cons.
Caretaking is definitely not for everyone; however for us, it makes sense. Our lives are pretty simple, really. Neither of us have children. At this time we have no animals of our own. The house has sold. We are clean, caring, organized, and responsible people. Paul works remotely for a large software company, and we have a home based business. Actually, two businesses, now! So, we can maintain an income, experience the joy of pets and home without the costs of ownership, and explore new locales without the committment of a lease or mortgage. It feels good, providing peace of mind to people who are trusting you with their property and pets. So, here we are, living on the water with two sweet dogs in a more than comfortable home, and meeting new people in a beautiful part of the Northeast (Cape Cod, Massachusettes). Of course I am partial, having been born in Connecticut, but Paul has assured me he is loving our new life also : )
If you have any other questions regarding why we chose to caretake, please click on the comment button below and ask away. If there is something specific you would like me to blog about regarding caretaking, I would love to hear what it is and possibly address it in a future blog. Or if you simply feel like saying hi, and letting us know what you’ve been up to, that would be great, also!
It is official – we leave a week from tomorrow. Whatever we don’t sell, we will bring with…but we are looking to sell just about everything, so if you are in the market for any of the items below, come and see us! There are a few pictures below of some of the items for sale.
Call Valynne at 303-903-7821 or
Stop by on Saturday October 3rd
(Follow the signs from Little Cub)
***This List Is Being Updated Daily***
Master Bedroom
Master Bath
Loft
Upstairs Study
Stairs
Guest Room 1
Guest Room 2
Guest Bath
Front Door
Deck
Family Room
Kitchen
Dining Room
Dining Room 2
Living Room
Front Entryway
Laundry Room
Garage
Shed
Basement Stairs
Boiler Room
Office
Basement
***MANY OTHER ITEMS INCLUDING HOLIDAY DECORATIONS, CLOTHES, KNICK-KNACKS, ETC. ETC. ***