Flexibility is important in house sitting

A common question for house sitters is what we do in the times between house sits. Another way it's sometimes asked is how we manage to make the sits flow from one to another without gaps. Even with conscientious planning, inevitably there will be gaps. We're coming to the end of our second year of house sitting, and we've only spent six nights in hotels between sits. We consider that a success.

Plants are flowering ahead of usual this year.
We've only seen these dormant, when they look dead.

We were to have a gap of three days between our most recent house sit and the next one. Both families kindly offered for us to stay longer or arrive earlier, as the case may be. However, we always aim to be no more than an overnight guest on our sits. In advance, I did some searching for various trips to fill the gap, but nothing seemed a good fit. We therefore didn't make any definite plans. 

The orange flowers are noticeable against the blue skies

I've never considered myself to be a flexible person; I live by rules and appreciate planning and organization. My husband will tell you he knows better than to try springing a surprise on me. However, house sitting is teaching me to be more open to change and to be far more flexible and less rigid. That's a good thing.

One of the many flowering plants at our current home

When we left our recent Tucson house sit, the wife casually mentioned she was thinking they'd go away for a weekend at the end of the month. The discussion didn't go any further than that. Then our most recent house sit needed to come home early, and asked if it was OK. We were happy to accommodate them, given the circumstances. I then emailed the Tucson homeowner, reminded her of her comment, and asked if she'd like to take advantage of our gap. I gave her the earliest we could arrive and the latest we could leave, which had now stretched into a 5-day period. She took the opportunity and made travel plans.

The city and mountain views from our current home

We're now back at our Tucson home, for the second time this month, and the homeowners are in Hawaii. These homeowners are Airbnb hosts, which has added a new experience for us. Although the homeowners are available by phone for the guests, Greg and I were here to welcome them on Saturday, settle them in, and make sure they are comfortable. It's a great experience and adds a skill to our housesitting profile.

Our 16-yr-old housemate, Tagine, taking a drink from the fountain

It's our third sit for this family; once again it's a little like coming home. We also enjoy spending time with Tagine, their elderly cat, who is no trouble at all.

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Location: Catalina Foothills, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Weather: High 83ºF (28ºC), low 52ºF (11ºC)

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Note: We have approval from the homeowners to include photos of their home and pet.