That first morning I sat under a twisted oak and sipped my coffee while gazing at Mount Diablo in the distance. The evening before, when I took the dog for a walk, I watched as the “devil mountain” began to glow orange from the setting sun; quite fitting as Halloween was just a few days prior.

Happily, many front yards were still decorated with jack-o-lanterns and fake cobwebs. Better still, as I walked the dog through the neighborhood each evening, I swore I could smell the familiar Harvest scents of pumpkin spice and vanilla wafting through the air.

It was a quaint typical American neighborhood; the type one would see featured in iconic movies from the 1990s. It’s exactly the type of neighborhood I wished I lived in as a child, especially during Halloween. Living in the sticks,  my mom had to drive my brother and I to a “real” neighborhood so we could Trick-or-Treat.

Needless to say, I considered my time here a real treat (pun intended) and I hope I get to sit here again very soon.

Duties:

– Care for 1 cat
– Care for 1 dog (provide daily walks)
– Gather mail
– Water indoor and outdoor plants (if needed)
– Keep house tidy
– Take out trash

Unexpected Benefits and/or Realizations:

– I loved living in a home on top of a hill because the house is filled with so much warmth and light (great for those dreary winter months)

Unexpected Events and/or Challenges:

– Owners were vacationing somewhere with poor cell reception so initial communications regarding health concerns for one of the animals weren’t going through. Good reminder to obtain email addresses or a backup landline phone number just in case.