Finding a Cat Sitter

A rare photo of all four cats together

I have been sitting with my computer on my lap for at least 30 minutes, and I haven't written a single word (until this sentence). I am SO tired that I can't even really think. I didn't get much sleep last night--it was one of those nights were I was super tired but my body just wouldn't let me fall asleep--and I've had a fairly busy day.

I had my second COVID-19 vaccine this morning, so that could be making me feel tired, too. When Jerry got his, he was super tired, and had chills and body aches. I haven't had any side effects other than a very sore shoulder where the injection was given. It was totally worth it, because I now feel like a big weight has been lifted; even though I was never extremely fearful of COVID-19, it was definitely on my mind when going to the store, or when the kids would go to school, etc. 

This afternoon, our new cat sitter came over so I could show her the ropes of taking care of the cats while we are on vacation in July. (We're going to my sister's property in the upper peninsula.) We're taking Joey with us, but I don't want to leave the cats alone--I worry too much about them.

It's kind of interesting how I met her (the sitter). After I'd gotten our new couch from Facebook Marketplace, I set our old couches at the end of the driveway, hoping someone would take them. They were still there the next day, and I really didn't want to have to call the garbage company to collect them.

That afternoon, there was a knock on the door and when I answered it, there was a girl (she's 18, but I say "girl" because 18 looks so young!) standing there and she asked me about the couches. She was wondering if I was getting rid of them and when I told her yes, she's welcome to take them, she was thrilled. She said she'd just gotten her first apartment and needed furniture.

She (I'll call her "Sara") wasn't able to pick them up at the time because she didn't have a truck, but she said her brother would be able to get them the following week. So, she helped me move them into the garage. She was super friendly and I loved that she was so excited about the couches--I really didn't want to throw them away. 

Her brother and dad came to pick them up, and they were just as friendly as she was. They thanked me for the couches and that was that. Then, the day before Easter, I got a call from Sara. She said she wanted to invite my family to her church on Easter morning and an Easter egg hunt afterward for the kids (she hadn't known my boys are teens). Her dad is the pastor and they'd just opened the church last fall.

I didn't go, but I asked her about the church and I learned that it's actually the little chapel that Jerry and I got married in back in 2003! Quite the coincidence. I sent her a picture from our wedding, because it looked quite different inside than it does now (from the pictures I saw on Facebook).

Anyway, I got a good vibe from her. She had been walking dogs when she first walked past my house (when she spotted the couches) so I knew she liked dogs. I'd been worried about who we were going to have cat-sit for us in July, and it occurred to me to ask her if she'd be interested. I figured she could probably use the money, having just gotten her first apartment.

So we made plans for her to come over so that I could show her the basics of what we'd need, and she came today. I loved the way she interacted with the pets, and she was even excited about feeding the squirrels. I feel like she's a good choice! I'll have her come over again before we leave to go over everything, but I am happy to not have to worry about the cat situation anymore.

It's interesting how things like this work out :)