Housesitting and Eeyore

Since moving to Port Townsend, I've done a lot of housesitting, probably more here than I ever did in my previous life combined. Why is it so popular here you ask? Port Townsend has a lot of retirees that travel or spend 1/2 the time here and 1/2 the year somewhere else. But since working at the science center there are many volunteers who travel and then pass my name onto friends and friends of friends. I think I've done nearly 12 weeks of housesitting, almost 3 months in the 5.5 months that I've been here. The downside is it takes me out of my daily routine and I have a week or so of adjustment at each place - getting used to a new sleeping arrangement, finding household items, but overall it's pretty fun. I get to explore new homes and neighborhoods and get to "have pets" for a few weeks but without the forever responsibility. And I either get paid or left good food to eat. It's a win win. Especially right now since I don't have a home. People here are really awesome and trusting in general so even though I'm new in town, people treat me like their family.

My current housesitting is for a couple that went to Shanghai to visit their grandchildren. I've been here for a week and a half already and have one more week to go. They come back on Thanksgiving and that morning I'll move straight into another house near downtown which I'll be at through December 1st.

At the current house I've been watching their old Newfoundland Sammy. He's super sweet, the most mellow of all the dogs I've watched but for a while I was worried that he was depressed. He'd follow me around and just look sad and then just sleep, tons. He also had a itching problem and he has a cone that I'm supposed to put on his head if he is excessively scratching. On one of the first nights I was here, I put the cone on his head. I was downstairs and heard a big clatter. When I went upstairs I realized that Sammy had knocked my fresh plate of cookies onto the floor and was trying best to eat these off the floor with the cone on his head. If Sammy could talk, I think it'd come out something like Eeyore. The flower photo are some beautiful fall flowers my friend Jess got in Seattle to cheer me up - thanks Jess!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3XpYT2hv4