Category: Home

I once came back from a “relaxing” two-week escape to find my cat, Whiskers, giving me the cold shoulder and my favorite plant looking like it had auditioned for a role in a post-apocalyptic film. The culprit? A house sitter who claimed to love animals but seemed to have a particular disdain for watering cans. […]

I remember the first time I tried to make my humble abode look “lived in” while I was away. As a kid from a mountain village where the most advanced security was a bark from the neighbor’s dog, the concept seemed absurdly urban. But here I was, setting a timer on an ancient lamp, imagining […]

I once left my mountain cabin for a week-long stint covering urban decay in the city. When I returned, the only thing missing was my sense of security. No, I wasn’t burgled. But the thought that someone could have waltzed in and helped themselves to my vintage typewriter and half-dead potted plant gnawed at me. […]

Every time I prep my house for vacation, I feel like I’m orchestrating a minor military operation. There’s something hilariously absurd about the lengths we go to before abandoning our homes for a week of supposed relaxation. I once spent an entire afternoon wrestling with the notion of leaving my plants in the care of […]

I once returned from a two-month stint in Southeast Asia to find a family of raccoons had taken up residence in my apartment. Turns out, my neighbor’s idea of “keeping an eye on things” translated to occasionally glancing at my front door and ignoring the wildlife circus happening inside. Lesson learned: trusting someone else with […]

I once left for a month-long trek through the Andes, convinced my home would be fine with just a locked door and a prayer. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t. I returned to a fridge that could’ve birthed a new species, a jungle of dust bunnies, and a mailbox overflowing with junk mail that could probably be […]

I once left for a week-long trip with nothing more than a hasty slam of my front door, convinced that the universe would keep my house in one piece. Spoiler: it didn’t. The cat discovered the art of curtain climbing, the fridge staged a cold war, and a rogue storm decided to redecorate my backyard. […]