House Sitting in Roseville with Fiona Bunch

We are currently house sitting for friends in Roseville California while they are backpacking in Italy. We’re one week in to our two-week house sitting job here and loving it.

The home owners gave us permission to take some photos and post them here. As all of you who were worried about Fiona having a bed and room of her own to sleep in, she does have a bed and room of her own – much nicer than she had previously. She certainly didn’t have a walk-in closet before!

Besides the fresh roses in the guest bedroom, there was a vase of fresh roses in the kitchen awaiting us when we arrived. Along with a note that said, “Eat what you want; use what you want.” Fiona was given a gift by Bob and Bentley – the mini dachshunds we are dog sitting.

One morning we were eating breakfast at the dining room table and I looked out the window to see a beautiful rainbow. I quickly took pictures and then watched as it disappeared.

When my friend from Grass Valley asked how it felt to be ‘homeless’ I looked around and said, “I feel like I’m living in luxury at the moment.”

Nomadic Travel: What Are We Really Doing?

You’ve heard that the Canfield family is going to travel and live a nomadic lifestyle. What does that mean? What are we really doing? Let me explain.

We are no longer renting a place to live. We’re packing our Kia Sedona minivan with our clothing, Joel’s musical instruments and equipment, important books and papers, Fiona’s books, toys and school books. The few important possessions we want to hold on to but don’t need on a daily basis are being stored by our close friends. They’ve also told us that anytime we’re back in the Sacramento area we have a place to stay with them.

We’re taking our packed van and we’re going to travel the U.S. and Canada for the next year or two.  We’d like to spend extended periods of time in one area or location before moving on to another location. That would allow us time to get to know an area and the people. To accommodate that we have plans to house sit for people who need someone to care for their house and even their pets while they’re away for an extended period of time – perhaps vacationing or traveling themselves. Our house sitting service provides the homeowner with peace  of mind and provides us a place to stay and work. So no, we do not charge a fee for this service.

How will we make money? The way we always do. We will continue to run our virtual businesses as we always have – creating and maintaining websites, running my virtual assistant business, coaching and training new and aspiring virtual assistants, writing books, helping people find their ‘why’.

Will this be a good thing for Fiona? We think so. Already she’s made new friends in British Columbia. And in October she’ll get to meet her great Uncle Denny and Grandma Mumsie who’s never seen her. She’ll learn about places, people, different cultures – not just from a book, but from real life experiences. We will continue to read the Bible with Fiona at bed time and teach her God’s values. She’s going to meet other members of our worldwide spiritual brotherhood and make new friends.

How long will we do this? Who knows. When we decide to stop, we’ll let you know.

I’m sure you have other questions. We’d love to answer them for you. So just post your question in the comment section and we’ll post our reply.

They’re Off to Italy and We’re House Sitting

Eric and Heather left for Italy this morning for two weeks. We’re house sitting for them while they’re gone. They have two mini dachshunds, Bob and Bentley, who need Fiona’s special care while Eric and Heather are away. Fiona’s very excited to be taking care of the two dogs, making sure they are fed and get played with every day.

Two weeks ago I first mentioned to my friend Heather that we’d be traveling and doing some house sitting along the way. She and Eric had been trying to decide exactly what to do with their pets while they were way. They’d just found out it would cost $50 a night to board them. When Heather realized that our family was looking for house sitting opportunities and would care for pets, she asked if our family would be willing to house sit and pet sit for them while they traveled to Italy. Of course!

So they’re off to Italy and we’re house sitting. Do you need a house and pet sitter while you’re on vacation? The Nomad Canfields may be just the solution you’ve been looking for. We are looking for house sitting opportunities in the U.S. and Canada in the coming months and can provide great references. We don’t charge for this service. Our payment is having your home as a comfortable place to live and work while we’re traveling. Contact us for more information.

Our House Sitting Experience in British Columbia

We loved house sitting in British Columbia for Caitlyn. It’s been fun and we appreciate the trust she and Ian put in us in taking care of their home and dog.  When they came home for one day before the next leg of their  trip and then took Brodie their dog with them he seemed to miss us. So I think we did a pretty good job.

It was very important to us that they felt we cared for their home the way they would care for their home. We were there for three weeks so I made sure that in addition to neatening up daily I took one day each week to clean. That included:

  • sweeping the hardwood floors upstairs and downstairs
  • washing the bedding and towels
  • vacuuming rugs
  • cleaning bathrooms  – tub, shower stall, sinks, toilets
  • cleaning the kitchen – sink, counter tops, stove top
  • taking the trash out each week

Daily we made sure to:

  • run the dishwasher as needed
  • wipe down the kitchen table and counters
  • neaten up
  • bring in the mail
  • feed and walk the dog

Caitlyn had given us very specific information regarding the pantry and what we could use and what were ‘hands off’ items. Though we could use what was in the fridge, when the salad dressing ran out, we made sure to replace it with a new bottle.

It was our goal that when Ian and Caitlyn came home they would find their house in as good of  condition as when they left it. There should be no reason for them to come home and have to clean house or do a load of towels or run the dishwasher.  We hope we fulfilled that goal and that they will be happy to recommend us as house sitters and welcome us back again.

A note from Joel: my favorite house guests are those who know how to be invisible. Our goal is for Caitlyn and Ian to come home and, at first, wonder whether anyone was even here, and then, as the days pass, discover that the tiny hints of previous denizens are simply pleasant reminders.

So Ian and Caitlyn – here’s your chance. Let us know how we did and what we could have done better. And thank you again for allowing us to care for your home and precious Brodie!

The Eagles Have Landed

Ian and Caitlyn have arrived for a quick overnighter before Trip #2.

Beans on the stove, brown rice and cornbread in the oven, homemade salsa in the fridge.

It’s gonna be a great dinner, followed almost instantly by waffles (or pancakes, no one’s decided for sure) for breakfast.

By bedtime tonight we will have tripled the amount of time we’ve spent with these folks whose home we’ve been living in for more than two weeks.

Streamlining, Paring, Tossing and We have to go!

So I’ve been working on streamlining our possessions. I’ve pared down the clothing quite a bit, tossed a bunch of trash, took 12 bags of clothing to Goodwill today. There’s lots more to go. I’ve been holding on to clothing for years that no longer fit or are worn or that don’t have as much sentimental value as I thought. Gone!

Fiona, our six-year old, is very excited about going to Canada for our trip in August. She knows it’s still tentative for a little while longer. She also knows we’ll be staying with a family that have a dog and Fiona says, “We have to go!” She wants to take care of the dog.

Don’t let Fiona down! Help her get to Canada to take care of the doggie. :)