summer jobs

i've quickly realized that i'm leading a semi-strange life this summer. at least strange for me. i'm watching two people's houses (and one person's cat) simultaneously. it wasn't exactly supposed to turn out this way (one of the people was supposed to leave for their vacation later in the summer, i thought.) anyway, besides feeding the cat, i'm gardening at both places, getting mail, keeping the lawns tended to and hanging out for workmen to come over and fix a roof. i've had to make myself a schedule, so i don't forget any of the things that i need to do at either house (not that there are that many things, but still). for two weeks before this, i had no house (interim between my apartment and the housesittings.) now i have two. then, in the last two weeks in july, i'll again have no house (a problem i'm going to need to amend.)

i've only been doing this a week now, but it's so different than my regular summers--which are generally spent either leading wilderness trips or traveling to foreign countries, living & backpacking with lots of people all the time. usually i can't get enough time by myself.

it's almost the exact opposite here--i think in a few weeks, a lot of the people i know will come back, but right now, pretty much everyone's gone. i don't think i've ever had so much quiet (except maybe the few extra days i stayed in norway, on my own, last summer.) i'm hoping to get to work and use the time well, but it's taken me a few days to sink into this not talking to almost anyone all day mode. i do see my officemate, tyler, a lot. but that's it!

thankfully it's beautiful here. and i'm trying to get outside as much as i can. (i'm in wyoming, for heaven's sakes.)