Who takes care of the house?

[woodman]

This is our 6th year spending our winters in the south. We generally leave in late fall and return at the end of April. Since we live in the northern part of the rural country, we rely on propane for heat, which means I have to provide access for the propane to be delivered. When conditions warrant, I pay someone to plow and sand our driveway during the winter. I installed a transfer switch in our garage with an adjacent 8500 watt portable generator in the event of prolonged power failure. We don't have family to check on our home, but we have some remote neighbors and some friends that will check the house or start a generator, if necessary, lol. I have numerous security cameras and one thermostat that can be controlled by wifi. That means that I can view the house and surrounds and set temps, all from my smartphone. I keep all the other thermostats at a minimum of 50 degrees to give me some buffer in the event of furnace failure. We have hydronic heat, so can't drain the water system, although we turn off the water and water softener. Like most, we have our mail forwarded and rely heavily on wifi, both at home and while on the road. Most bills and concerns are dealt with on-line. We take all of our important paperwork with us in order to do our taxes and handle other matters that come up. We also travel with conceal and carry, just to be better prepared. In other words, each person has to thoroughly evaluate their situation and think things through and then determine your best plan to handle things while on the road and away from your home.

Regarding pets, we loved our dogs when we had them, but once the last one passed, we felt that we wouldn't get another, because we enjoyed our freedom and did not want to be restricted. Most RV couples that we run into, have their pets with them, and usually they're dogs versus cats. Our observations are that the larger pets need better grooming and bathing, but the smaller dogs, once left alone, bark or yip constantly until the owner comes back. I find the yipping really annoying to listen to and selfish on behalf of the owners to not train them better.