September in Seattle. Enjoy farmers markets, hiking, exploring the area

About this assignment

Are you good with Orange Cat Behavior? I need a responsible and mature person to keep my cat fed and petted, plants watered, and the house happy while I’m walking the Via Francesco in Italy. I’d like someone who is quiet (Boe is timid.), tidy, responsible, and not prone to breaking things. A single female is preferred.

I’d like a sitter who is neat and tidy and will treat my home respectfully. A good communicator is important. I’d like to have regular contact by either email or WhatsApp.

The sitter must be a non-smoker and not use recreational drugs.

I am providing accommodation in exchange for taking care of Boe. I’m not looking for a paid sitter.

What responsibilities are required of the house sitter

The main responsibility is taking care of Boe who is a seven year old, 12.5 pound, healthy male cat. He is fed wet food twice a day, and gets a little kibble for snacks. He mainly sleeps. Boe is indoor only. The other responsibilities include watering the indoor plants once a week and watering the outdoor plants as needed. There aren’t many and most are in pots by the hose. Some will likely be vegetables that you can help yourself to. The rest of the yard takes care of itself and needs no maintenance. The sitter will also need to bring in the mail occasionally and put out the trash, compost, and recycling bins once a week if there is stuff to go out.

The dates reflect the day before I leave and the day after I get home. I’d like to meet the sitter in person to go over things, and then meet again at the end. I’m happy to host.That way I can answer any questions and make sure the sitter has what they need.

My brother lives a short drive away and can help out if issues arise. The next door neighbor can help out as well.

What are the good features of the property and location

The sitter will have the top floor of the house. There is a living room, dining room, kitchen, full bathroom, bedroom, and music room. There are ukulele to play and lots of music books and online resources if you’d like to learn. The bottom floor is 'under development'. I’m not sure what I want to do with those rooms yet.

There is a TV and DVD player in the living room. There is no cable but the TV does get local stations along with Netflix and Prime Video.

I like to cook and bake so there are lots of kitchen gadgets and tools the sitter can use.

The house is on a quiet side street but is walking distance to a shopping area. There is a small grocery, a variety of restaurants, a brewery, a post office, library, and, of course, coffee shops. There are frequent buses that connect to the new Link trains that run downtown, to the airport, to the east side, and to cities north and south.

There is a farmers market on Thursday afternoons that is in walking distance. There is also a bigger farmers market on Sunday mornings that’s a short drive away. There are many other farmers markets around the city.

The neighborhood is a great place for long walks. Meadowbrook pond has beavers that are out at dusk and a great blue heron nest. There are also little hills if you want to get you heart pumping. The Burke-Gilman trail is close by. It runs along Lake Washington and is about twenty miles long. Bring a bike!

September is a great time for hiking! The bugs will be gone and the trails snow-free. The weather should be good. The crowds will be fewer, too. A car will be necessary to reach the trailheads. Sorry, my car will not be available for use. There is a driveway for parking.

It would be possible to take an overnight or two night trip away. My brother could take care of Boe for a few days. There is a lot to explore in the area and some great places take awhile to drive to so having a little get-a-way makes sense.

What does the house sitter need to consider before applying for this assignment

Seattle has a large homeless population. They are not in my neighborhood, but when you go out to the main streets, you will see them.

It’s possible there could be smoke from wildfires this time of year. Every year is different. Last year was fine. If there is smoke, it could limit how much time you wanted to spend outside. However, there are places to escape from it, like the coast. Or you can spend more time inside reading, playing ukulele, writing, listening to music, or petting Boe.

Can I bring my own pets?

No, sorry.

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