Pete found me at the last minute in need of some assistance over the holidays- given West Hollywood was just a short 25 minute drive from my home, I was able to help out without disrupting my holiday plans.

Shiloa, a Persian lovely was our companion for the holidays.  She was a delight.  Pete thought she might be shy, but surprising she came out to welcome us.   She was always happy to see us when we visited.  We came by twice a day  to feed and love her.  Pete had Shiloa on a specific diet, nothing too difficult.  Just carefully measuring her food and adding some medicine to her evening meal.

We also stayed the night a few times, including a long weekend, when we went to a holiday show on the West side and explored a few new areas for our holiday shopping ~ a mini-holiday vacation for us.  Shiloa was always happy to see us and cuddled with us on the sofa.   It was a wonderful addition to our holiday activities.

Responsibilities:

• 1 ~ 3-year old Persian cat, Shiloa
• Indoor plants to water
• Daily mail pick up
• Package delivery.  (Pete had a couple of Christmas presents he wanted delivered on Christmas Eve to his office and a neighbor.  This was an easy addition to our daily visits with Shiloa)

Extras:

• Daily email messages to Pete, with an occasional picture of Shiloa
• Pete’s home was tidy and well maintained.  My daughter did find several of Shiloa’s toys that were in need of repair.  So with a needle and thread, she patched up a few little stuffed toys – I cleaned and organized the rest of the toys in the box, leaving her toy box looking new.

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Shiloa napping in the late afternoon.

I loved Belize, the country was beautiful and the people were so kind and helpful.  I spent 8 days of my month long trip at Doug and Christina’s home.  They have a lovely home just outside of San Ignacio.  Their rescued greyhound, Martini, was cheerful and sweet.  He was always by my side the whole time.  He even slept at the foot of the bed at night.  Being alone in the house, it was a comfort to have such a sweet dog near by.

There wasn’t an extra car for drives into town, but the little blue bike they left for me was perfect for quick trips into town for supplies or for lunch.  It was an easy flat 20 minute ride.  I avoided the roads during the evening, it was too dark even with the lights on the bike.  If I needed a ride into town after dark it was a cheap taxi ride.

The kitchen was large and I spent lot of time baking and cooking ~ one of my favorite hobbies.  The Saturday market in town gave me plenty of fresh produce to work into my culinary adventures.   A few times I took Martini into town with me for lunch.  We left early and had a leisurely walk, barking at birds and sniffing neighbors along the way.  There was a good selection of outdoor seating places for us to eat and people watch.

Doug and Christina’s yard was more like a jungle, and there was not much work needed outside.  I did putter around, picking off dead leaves and flowers and clears some vines from the walk way, but mostly my help was needed inside.  Christina’s indoor plants required daily watering and I turned them to face the sun and continue healthy growth.

Their neighbor across the street, Hector came by to check on me several times.  And offered to drive me into town for some shopping on one occasion – I paid him for the trip with a pineapple upside down cake.  He was fully of information about the area and pointed me the Cahal Peche and Xunantunich ruins which I was able to visit during my stay.

Responsibilities:

• 1 ~ 5-year old greyhound, Martini
• Indoor plants to water, turn and deadhead

Extras:

• Daily text messages to Doug on things were going
• I made fresh bread and had a bowl of fresh fruit from the market waiting in the kitchen when Doug and Christina returned.

The jungle garden yard.

Martini, relaxing after our walk into town.

Cahal Pech

Xunantunich

Xunantunich