14 Things a Snowbird Does on Returning Home

Oregon Summer just a short walk away!

Our home has stood empty for six month...mostly. A grandson, wife and small baby did stayed for three weeks in January. It was nice to share with them.

Since that nothing has happened to make our home feel loved. No plants on the kitchen window sill, no flowers on the dinning table. Dust collected and that about all that could be measured. We have been back since last Wednesday. We have been busy as you can imagine.

Snowbird lifestyle does involve two things...the leaving and the returning. The return is nothing I have ever mentioned. Coming home, and it will always be home no matter where we nest in the winter, is wonderfully exciting. It is like seeing our life with new eyes.

So I thought you might like to know the steps to breathing life back into an empty abandoned house after six month of dark and cold.

1. Open all the curtains, blinds and windows.
2. Reconnect TV, internet and turn the water back on. (We leave electricity/gas on for refrigerator and furnace.)
3. Change car insurance back to the car that is stored in Oregon. (The one is Arizona goes to sleep.)
4. Unpack suitcases. Sort and classify clothes.
5. Cook a meal (after shopping for well over $150 in groceries.)
6. Wipe every surface with polish.
7. Run the robot vacuum. 
8. Take a shower and steam everything up.
9. Put outdoor furniture back outside.
10. Buy plants...as many or more than the groceries you just bought.
11. Begin the process of planting pots and yard. The sun will shine soon I think.
12. Visit with the neighbors.
13. I have a small neighborhood library in my front yard. I checked to see how it was looking. I can see that the neighbors have given it the love it needs while we are gone.
14. Have a family/friends gathering!
15. Let the summer begin with laughter. Life is short so enjoy every day.

It is a simple as that. The warmth and life comes back slowly as you redesign your world. It is a good thing.

How is your spring going?

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