When you leave town for a few days, how do you prepare to leave your property? Do you have a checklist in your head? Most of us do. Since many families take at least one trip during the summer, I decided to ask how others prepare to leave.
Remember, this column is called “A Woman’s View,” so expect mainly women’s comments. Perhaps the men wouldn’t bother with some of these preparations, but we women seem to be universal in our responses.
Thank you to the guys who did respond.
Long ago, when I was a kid, we did not leave a refrigerator plugged in and full of food if we were going away for an extended time. We took out all the perishable food to empty the “old gal”, (round top refrigerator), unplug her, clean the surfaces, and finally, prop the door open so that any moisture inside did not turn to mildew. I wonder if that was necessary or just the custom of the time?
Here’s some of the best responses. J. Dustin said she shuts off her pendulum clock. What? Isn’t it a wind-up? “No,” she answered. “It’s battery powered.” And, she never fails to check the toilets. I think she checks to see that they are not running...but I am not sure.
Sue K. agreed with the toilet thing. She makes sure the toilets have shut off after flushing and added, “you know, OCD kind of stuff!” Maybe she squirts some toilet bowl cleaner in each bowl?
Sharon cleans the house before she leaves; everything in its place. She thinks that just in the chance that she doesn’t come back, the kids won’t see a messed-up house!
I am that way. I arrange my underwear drawer because what would my kids think? I pair up socks, put undies in a special bag, line up my bras.
Sometimes I check the sump pump in the basement. It has been known to get stuck. So, I look at it. So? It might get stuck and I would never know it.
Candi sets a timer to turn a light on and off at a certain time every day in her living room. This was a fairly common response.
John B says they “clean out the car, pack what they can the night before, mow the yard, turn up or turn down the thermostat as they walk out the door and plan on a hell of a vacation.”
Ann cleans her kitchen and takes out the trash...good one!..and wipes down the sink and the counters. We girls don’t ever want to come home to a stinky kitchen. And we work hard so we can come home to an orderly home. (Even though often, when we are leaving, we feel anything but orderly, especially if we are truly ready to flee the coop!)
Pets. Cheryl writes lengthy notes for the house sitter to take care of the cats. Annie takes the dog to the pet-sitter. Me. I wash the dog’s bed if she is going to a sitter.
Dr. Christina the vet makes sure all the baking goods are out of the oven before she runs out the door on ER calls at the clinic or farm. She seems to be hinting that there have been “uh ohs” in the past.
Pam makes sure the house is clean, that Ferguson and Larry, the pets, are taken care of, lawn mowed, underwear drawer... (There’s that “underwear drawer” obsession again!)
And lastly, our super OCD of all, Jean S. says, “We shut the main water valve off for anything over one day, stop the paper, and mail, clean leftovers, and wipe out the fridge, make food to freeze so I don’t have to cook when I get home, clean house, turn AC up, lock freezer, and hope the electricity doesn’t go off for long!”
Is it worth it to leave? Sometimes I wonder.
Judi Tabler lives in Pawnee County and is a guest columnist for the Great Bend Tribune. She can be reached atjuditabler@gmail.com.
