Before setting out on the first of these backpacking trips, I was sitting in the flat bed of the pickup truck that would take us to the Shenandoah Valley when I was aproached by my literature professor.
"Would you be up for house sitting this summer?" she asked.
"Sure," I said. "Why me?"
"Well," she said, "I was scrolling through my students looking for one who wouldn't mind that I don't have cable."
"Hey," I replied "I'm your ticket."
That was the summer of 2003. I house sat alone. It was great. My professor's condo was open and airy, and beautifully decorated - I felt like I was outside even when I was in. She and I had alot in common. Her whole apartment was decorated in earthtones. She had pictures of family and friends everywhere. I let The Beatles play over and over while I cooked and ate my eastern food. And there was no TV blaring the whole time I was there. I loved sitting on the couch with a copy of Thoureau's Walking, listening to the evening birds melt into the nightime crickets through the gossimer curtain of the open sliding-glass door.
Did I mention the cats? Three of them: Zoe, Zeke and Munch. As I got to know them over that first week I gave them titles: Princess Zoe, Herr Zeek, and Sir Munch. Maybe that will give you an idea of their personalities. These are not your typical cats. I discovered that the first night I crawled into bed. I awoke in the middle of the night with Zeke curled up on what I wasn't using of my pillow, Munch nuzzled into the bend of my right knee (yes, under the sheets) and Zoe sitting square on my chest, looking down into my face. This was fine until a few minutes later when she started doing that thing cats do when they're happy, you know, that rhythmic clawing thing in synch with their purring. I did my best to lift her gently off me so she'd stop without taking the skin of my chest with her.
Well, I got called back to cat sit again in 2004, but alot had change in that year. Not only had Stephan and I gotten married, but our professor had moved into a real house and had a boyfriend (whom she met on the Appalachian Trail on the second backpacking trip for that class!). So Stephan came along for cat sitting in the new house, but things are a little different with him joining...
You see, Stephan is terribly allergic to cats. Sometimes I think he really would die if he didn't take his medicine. However, he does have meds he can take that keep his symptoms at bay. But we still have a routine now that the cats aren't to pleased with...and if I'm honest, I'm not either. I really liked having the cats with me when I slept that first summer...But Stephan's a much better bed-mate than these cats, so I'm not complaining.
I usually preceed Stephan to the house, and the first thing I do is vaccuum. I vaccum every room and dust what I can, then I head for the bedroom where I change the sheets and sweep and wipe down every surface. After that I bring in our stuff (without setting it down anywhere on the way), and then shut the door. The cats are banished from the bedroom for our stay.
Well, we're embarking on our 4th year of house sitting for this professor, starting today. We'll be there over our 2 year wedding anniversary, and since we couldn't go away on vacation this year, this will kind of be like a get-away for us. We're looking forward to it.
Below are some pictures of the cats. (Zeke and Munch respectively) I don't have a picture of Zoe, but I'll put it up if I get one this go around.
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