Why We Decided to Caretake

by Valynne | Oct 26, 2009 | Caretaking / House and Pet Sitting, Simple Living, Travel | 4 comments

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!