After Larry picked me up at LAX we headed directly east to a town called Claremont so we could get acclimated with the newest element of our nomading: pet sitting. Through the website, Trusted Housesitter, we agreed to house sit (and pet sit and plant sit) for a lovely couple who were traveling for 11 days to Hawaii.

We figured we could offset some of our housing costs by pet sitting. Plus those opportunities would also give us a chance to stretch out of the van a little, do laundry, cook in real kitchens, and get some pet lovin’ all at the same time. Everybody wins. And not to sound boastful, but anyone who has us pet sit gets some quality people who are diligent, earnest, neat, honest, reliable, and — frankly — independent adults. They don’t need to worry that we are going to steal the silverware or throw a party or neglect our duties.

We had a gorgeous first couple days there. We quickly fell into our routines. Early to bed, early to rise. Gym for swimming and workouts. Grocery shopping and cooking, and of course, caring for the flora and fauna. The house was so comfortable, the garden so inviting, and as we were separated for a week, we were happy to just be at home together. But then the weather turned gray and cold, and it stayed that way. All. Week. Long. It didn’t interfere with daily workouts at the local YMCA or the daily chores around the house, but it did impact our moods after the 6th straight day. So to lift our spirits we did a little retail therapy at Target, and we went out for dinner on Thursday evening to a lovely tapas restaurant in Claremont Village, a charming area of town near the 5 private, elite colleges that call Claremont home. It was pleasant — if a little chilly — strolling under the blossoming trees, so pink and picture perfect. Allow me a quick aside about Thursday that illustrates the personality of Sunny, our main charge this week.

Sunny, the sweet old dog we were taking care of, had a little white chicken stuffed animal that she seemed to love, and she would scoop it up when chasing squirrels or doing anything exciting. It was her emotional support chickie. So, knowing she loves stuffies, when we were at Target, I bought her a little stuffed Kong elephant. It was a simple, thin, long, blue, polka dotted toy. She seemed absolutely thrilled when I gave it to her. Like genuinely happy. Wagging tail, twinkle in her eyes, the works. Shortly after giving her the gift, Larry and I went out for dinner as mentioned above. When we got home, just a couple hours later, the elephant was no where to be found in the house. So strange. I looked everywhere. As a person who likes to keep an eye on every sparrow, I was a little put out that I could not find it. The next morning, I searched the large yard as best I could. Sunny has a dog door and a lot of autonomy to come and go as she wishes. So I figured she brought the toy outside. I had a heart attack when under a bush I discovered a stuffed pigeon that looked mighty real, but there was no elephant to be found. I asked Sunny, but she gave no reply. She looked at me slyly, but gave nothing away. I began to worry that maybe she ate it. I started looking for polka dotted poop. I mentioned the missing elephant to her mom over text the next day and this was her response:  

Ohhhhh…..that’s very funny and a definite quirk of hers.
We can only give her the little white stuffy she has. (If it’s getting a bit yucky I have back ups in the cupboard above the dog food). I should have mentioned that. If you give her anything else and she really loves it. She will bury it. Our backyard is a pet cemetery for stuffed animals. The pigeon was actually a Christmas gift for me that disappeared about 30 minutes after I unwrapped it. She must move it because I keep getting shocked when I find it.
Same with bones, etc. In her younger days she would occasionally take a shoe to bury. Eventually she’d be overcome with guilt and bring it back….full of dirt. She also once buried two liters of Coke I left out after a party.

Needless to say, the pup gave us some great smiles and we gave her unending belly rubs throughout the week.

By Saturday the weather finally cleared. Blue skies again were a welcome sight! We decided — after the morning chores — to take a lovely, 5 mile hike in the Chino Hills State Park. Things seemed particularly lush after the cool, grey misting days. There were loads of wildflowers everywhere. We were enjoying our time out so much that after the hike (and after a stop home to walk the dog) we walked ourselves back to the Village for a more leisurely stroll, a relaxed, patio beverage, and then a delicious BBQ dinner. It was a lovely way to end our stay.

In some ways, this first sit spoiled us for future sits. We really liked the couple we sat for. I was absolutely in love with their gardens and their gardening style. They have a real cook’s kitchen, which was a joy after so many sub-par AirBnB kitchens. And while the work was sizable, it was enjoyable. Besides Sunny, who needed medication twice a day. there were also four homing pigeons, one wild bird feeder, two fountains, and 20 potted plants (mostly bonsai but a few other interesting specimens) that required daily watering. Additionally there were several fruit trees that we were allowed to enjoy to our heart’s content.

They also left us the keys to an old minivan that they use to chauffeur Sunny around, which I greatly appreciated. The ol’ gal is a little stiff, and most days she needed help getting into the van, but, boy! did she love to take rides. She got so excited and seemed to really enjoy cruising, even if it was just in the neighborhood. I took her for two walks a day and one drive. We went to the park, the cemetery, and around the block on our Sniff Safaris. She didn’t have a lot of energy for long, but she seemed very happy to have little walk-abouts.

It made me happy too. I was endlessly fascinated with plants and birds completely unfamiliar to me. I was meditative and contemplative while walking through the cemetery. I was curious to watch the tiny colony of tiny ants that seems to live in one the tiny bonsai, only really coming out when I was watering the tree. I very much enjoyed the company of Sunny. I already miss her.