We haven't traveled for almost three years—not because of covid, though that didn't help, but because we had a beloved old dog whom we would not leave with anyone else.
Our house is on 5 acres just outside Corvallis, an appealing (approx. 50,000) university town in the Willamette Valley. The land has fruit trees, other trees, vegetable gardens.
Corvallis is about 1.5 hours from the Oregon coast, Portland, and the Cascade Mountains. Even better -- we think -- is the outstanding extensive network of hiking and biking trails 10 minutes drive from our house in the forests owned by the OSU College of Forestry.
We have a small flock of chickens and ducks and geese, and we sell eggs to regular customers; a sitter would need to close the birds into their house in the evening, let them out in the morning; collect the eggs and put them into an outside fridge for customers to pick up; and make sure that the birds have food and water.
We recently acquired two cats. They are sisters, about a year old, and very cute. They have a cat door; we see them most in the morning and evening.
We built our own house. Like most owner builders, we have not quite finished it -- some windows have no trim, there is a part of a wall by the stairs with no drywall. But most people think it's a great house. That said, if you are used to a suburban ranch house and a house cleaner, this is not the house for you. There is wifi and we have several streaming services, a large TV, and a great music/sound system. Downstairs is one big open space (plus mudroom, laundry room). There is a bedroom with a queen bed upstairs for the sitter(s), as well as two bathrooms, one up, one down. I can send more photos of the house.
There is also a newer building (that was professionally built) with a shop, a music room (with piano), and an exercise room. There are two queen futon beds out there (but no bathroom).
October is gorgeous here, but we will start to get rain in November, unless the climate crisis changes things. We have ductless heating and cooling and a woodstove.