Do the dishes, Cinderelly...

In a couple hours my parents and Rachel are leaving for Michigan (Jake is already there working on my uncle's farm), and then for the next two weeks it's just going to be me and Heather taking care of the house. I still have to finish up work before I fly out. I've never been left in charge my own home for this long so I'm kind of nervous. Going over the long letter/list of responsibilities my mother has printed out for us... wanna hear it?! Probably not, but I'm going to copy and paste it in here anyways just so you can see how much stuff I have to do.

Dear Ladies of the House,

You have the place to yourselves for the next two weeks! With freedom comes responsibility...

Your main responsibilities are taking care of the pets, the indoor and outdoor plants, and garbage/recycling. I realize you already know how to do this, but here are the specifics.

Garbage/recycling should be put out on Wednesday evenings. Drag the big trash cans to the edge of the sidewalk in the back of the house. Recycled goods go out in front. Cardboard boxes should be flattened first. Plastic milk jugs, soda bottles, berry boxes, etc. go in separate bins, newspapers in bags.

Re. the pets, you know the drill. Change the kitty's water once a day. They need a little wet food and dry food each day. Be sure to put food cans back in fridge with plastic cover. Re. Rachel's hamster Ollie, throw him some food every couple of days. Check his water bottle to be sure it's not empty or set too low (if it's too low it soaks into the bedding.) Give his cage a fresh change of bedding at least once a week during the time we are away. If Ollie should die (knock on wood!) please wrap him in a couple of plastic bags and place him in the freezer so Rachel can say goodbye when we return. Eliza- please do not dissect him as you did with Cinnamon.

Don't let Tiger out at night! If she hunts, she'll get sick. Best to let her run outside for exercise in the mornings, just after you leave for work. Moxie is the nocturnal one with the iron stomach. She prefers to sleep inside during the day and go out at night.

Now for the plants. The garden should be watered every other day unless you have a rainy spell. That means dragging the hose to the side and soaking dad's vegetables, and the flowers & shrubs on the terrace. Window boxes don't need such frequent watering, but please don't forget about them.

I'm putting some plants on the back porch. It's easy to water those, and don't worry about the water running over the floorboards (just be sure Margie isn't below when you water them!!). These will dry out quicker than the indoor plants, so check them every couple of days. If the soil feels dry, water them throughly.

Indoor plants: Water them twice while we're gone. (e.g. once on July 30, once on Aug. 5.)

Miscellaneous: Be sure to put away food so that bugs don't flock to the kitchen. Keep it clean- if strawberry hulls sit in the sink for even a day, the fruit flies will come back, and then they're hard to get rid of. Fruit goes down the disposal, not the trash.

Bring up the mail and collect it in one place.

Be sure windows are closed and please turn off the AC's and lights when you leave the house for the day, to conserve.

That is all. Have fun together!

Love,
Annie, David, & Rachel.

Why do I already feel like I'm going to screw something up?