Grandma house-sits with "No Problems"

By Ruthe

Some time ago, my daughter and her family were making arrangements for a vacation over in Europe to visit their son who was touring as a keyboardist with the pop music group *NSYNC. They had never been abroad and this seemed to be a wonderful opportunity for a great vacation. Grandma here, was very happy to volunteer to housesit for them taking full charge of everything while they were away. I was very confident and certainly able to undertake this, and was certain there would be no problems.

I lived an hour away and came over the night before they were leaving as their flight was very early. I drove them in their minivan to the airport, and as I watched the big airliner with them aboard take off for Austria, how happy I was for them!

Day #1
Well guess what -- do you remember me saying there will be no problems? I took a wrong turn coming out of the airport, a 30-mile error before getting back to their house.

As soon as I opened the front door, out ran the two big cats -- oh mercy me, how would I get them back inside? Thank goodness they both are indoor kitties, and they became frightened of the surroundings and surrendered to me with my promise to carry them both back in. Together they weigh 50 pounds but I was so happy to get them back inside without a struggle I didn't mind carrying them regardless of their weight.

Day #2
Early the next morning, the beautiful golden retriever was crying at the door wanting very badly to take her usual walk. Just as I found her leash the doorbell rang and she ran fast to the door. I grabbed her collar and as I barely opened the door, she shook her head hard and I found myself standing in the doorway with a collar in my hand but without a dog. I caught her between my legs and almost fell out the door, and when I looked up, there stood a policeman asking me if I owned the car parked at the front curb. My answer was -- no -- but in a nice voice (this is a policeman I reminded myself), I sent him next door thinking the car belonged over there. Later in the day I was told it was a stolen car and it was towed away. Another day, and another problem.

Day #3
The day started out beautifully, and a friend called and offered to take the dog out for her evening walk. She would be stopping by after work and would have her little girl with her. They both have walked her before and enjoy taking her on her walks around the lake. I was happy to have them do this as I was a bit tired, and wanted to watch the evening news. They were gone almost 30 minutes, then brought her inside and unleashed her. As they said good-bye and opened the door to leave, the dog rushes out and takes off towards the lake -- and so do we, running and trying to catch her, but all in vain. After another 30 minutes she returned, sat down on the front porch and waited for us to return. Yes, another problem.

Day #4
By this time I was starting to count the days -- what in heaven's name would be the problem for me today? All the chores were done, kitties were fed and had fresh water, the dog has been out several times and I thought things were going just fine. Then I noticed water standing around the pool pump, and later that day it was beginning to flood around that area. I didn't have a clue how to turn it off -- my only hope was to wait for the usual daily call from the kids so I could find out how to get the water valve shut off. Thank goodness they called earlier than usual and they walked me through the operation to solve this problem. I soon had it all fixed, but again another problem.

Day #5
Mercy me, I was on the pool deck quite early as I was starting to feed the pets. I was still half asleep when suddenly I saw 3 little snakes crawling toward me! This really woke me up fast -- what in the world will I do? My first thought was to get the cats, but where were they? I found them both sound asleep -- I tried to wake them up with no success. Tuna fish comes to my mind and guess what? It worked! They were lured out to the patio and I showed them the snakes. They looked down at them and walked away! I had to destroy those baby snakes, then scoop them up on a dust pan for their burial. Can't believe this, another day another problem.

Day #6
By this time I was ready for anything and was wondering what today would bring. It wasn't long until my problem arrived -- the 30 lb. kitty was missing. I started looking everywhere, calling his name frequently. I couldn't imagine where he was. I became very worried that he some way had gotten out of the house and was scared -- and perhaps had run away. He knew nothing about the outside world nor would he know how to protect himself if attacked by a big dog. He was gone several hours when I finally found him hiding in a big bunch of bushes right beside the front door -- he seemed fine and it appeared that he'd been sleeping for a long time. The only one worried here was me. Did I really say there would be no problems?

Day # 7
Best day yet. It was starting to get late in the evening and not one problem to report for this day. Then very dark clouds formed in the sky, and suddenly the winds picked up -- a storm was in the works. The TV weather forecast just announced severe rain, wind, and also tornado warnings have been posted for this area. It wasn't long until the storm hit our neighborhood, and without electricity it was total darkness. I had no idea where they kept their candles. Severe wind brought down tree branches, and debris was flying all over outside. It was getting scary -- the animals are all going berserk. They are so afraid of the thunder and lightning. There wasn't a single soul out on the streets and I was worried about the damage this storm was causing. I'm nervous and walking the floors trying to console the pets. I was worn out by the time the storm passed. I decided to reset the timers and all clocks the following day. I sure hated to tell my kids about this, just when I thought there would be no problems today.

Day # 8
The next morning was gorgeous. You would never have known a severe storm had hit here last evening, except for a few limbs down and some lawn damage. I tried to reset all those hi-tech appliances. I don't have a clue about how to do it, but I just punched buttons and said a prayer. Also, I thanked God that this house-sitting job would soon come to an end. I wasn't counting days -- now it was hours until they would be coming home. I decided I'd better start up the cars, as none had been started since they departed over a week ago. I found the keys and tried to open the door, whoops -- the car alarm started and just kept going! I knew nothing about how to get it stopped, so I just went back in the house and let it roar. 5 minutes later it finally quit! Guess I had the wrong key. Another day, another problem.

Day #9
Tomorrow they come home -- but what about today? What is going to happen? While picking up the paper on the driveway this morning, I had noticed something unusual with the van. It looked like someone had broken into it because the glove box was open. I opened the door and started the engine -- no response. I immediately thought the battery had been stolen, but I lifted the hood and everything was intact. The battery was dead and I was supposed to use the van to pick them up at the airport -- my goodness what will I do? They will have so much luggage and there will be 4 of them returning. My car was available but holds only 3 passengers and has no trunk room. The neighbor next door noticed me in distress and offered to get the van started tomorrow. He seemed sincere and wanted to help. I went in and started to fix a glass of lemonade for myself. I remembered that they keep fresh-squeezed lemon ice cubes in the big freezer in the garage. I opened the freezer door and everything come dripping out -- ice cream, popsicles, bloody meats, fish and just everything they had in their freezer. The storm a few nights before had cut the electricity off and the freezer evidently hadn't started back up! Everything was thawed and ruined. Worst day of my life. And yes, another problem.

Day #10
Couldn't wait for this day! My kids were coming home, but I still didn't have a van to pick them up. I kept waiting for the kind neighbor who'd offered to help me. It was getting close to their arrival time, but he was nowhere around. Just as I was ready to use my car (knowing it would be 2 trips to the airport and back), the neighbor arrived and he immediately put a new battery in the van and offered to go himself to pick them up. My prayers were answered, and believe me I will never again say "There will be no problems!"

Ruthe