As your housesitter, I'll keep your home or business
secure, protected and maintained in your absence AT NO
CHARGE. (Other services are
chargeable.)
I
like to live in other people's homes when they are away..
but only by invitation!
By house-sitting I can save money by not having rent to pay
and can write how-to books.
Preferred locations: Toronto and Niagara Region, Ontario,
Erie and northwestern Pennsylvania.
My profile on
Housecarers.com | Pet care | Household Tasks | Cooking
I have been hired to
singlehandedly host and manage 5 Bed and Breakfast
businesses (Aberdeen House in Toronto was one) and an
Interior Decorating firm (Today's Interiors in Erie) so
they could continue to earn income while the owners are on
vacation. See below for REFERENCES from guests at my
own
Author's Bed and Breakfast.
Author's Bed and Breakfast,
Toronto,
Andrea Reynolds, Proprietor.
Interview published in the Quill & Quire supplement for
The Canadian Bookseller Association Convention
In the photo, Andrea is the one standing.
Below: More than you'd
ever want to know
about me.
More about my
pet care services: www.AndreaReynolds.com/pets.html
Email me Tell me where you are,
when you'd like me to arrive, and a little about you and
your pets. I'll be adding a page later with a few
questions to make it easier to respond.
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REFERENCES: Below are some comments
from respected people who stayed at my AUTHOR'S BED AND
BREAKFAST IN TORONTO. While I have no intention to ever
host my own bed and breakfast business again, the
recommendations do indicate that I maintain a home well...
A pleasure to meet
you! What a nice change from sterile and lonely hotels.
Thanks for the hospitality and stimulating conversation.
I'll be back....
Darwin Wiggett, Canadian
landscape photographer and author,
www.DarwinWiggett.com
Dear Andrea, This was
a haven in a stormy sea. I do hope I can come
again.
Carolyn Swayze, literary agent, White Rock BC.
Dear Andrea, thank you
for making this over-stimulating week homey and balanced.
You are a wonderful host. I'm sure I'll be back. Good
luck.
Loranne Brown, author,
The Handless Maiden, Langley BC.
Andrea, Had a great
time. Your help and conversation really put us at ease and
enabled us to get the most out of our stay. A wonderfully
"homey" atmosphere in a wonderful city. If you're ever in
the Atlanta area we'll return the favor.
Don and Lynne Embler
Andrea, We're so glad
we learned about you from our friends Judith and Joseph! It
was delightful staying here and talking with you. We expect
your B & B will be extremely successful. Your home is
so comfortable and cheery and your hospitality is at the
highest level. We can't wait to come back.
Ingrid and Gary Watters, East Aurora NY
Dear Andrea, Thank you
very much for making my stay in Toronto much more pleasant.
The bed and breakfasts were excellent. The friendliness I
had not booked so it was the more enjoyable.
Daniel Griese, Mathematician, Berlin
Germany
More comments can be seen on another
page.
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Details,
details, details
I'm a strong and agile, single 61 year
old (July 1949) female with no children, so I give my love
and attention to animals, preferably cats, but well-trained
dogs are a delight too. I'm also kind-hearted, smart,
and keep a cool head in an emergency. I'm also frugal,
environmentally conscious, and quiet. Below you will
see multiple reasons why you might want to choose me as
your pet and house-sitter.
THE KINDNESS-MOBILE
After selling my condo in St. Catharines Ontario and
completing my apartment lease in Erie Pennsylvania I am now
free to travel at the drop of a hat in my outfitted van. I
have everything I need inside to live and work in a very
small space. Between housesitting assignments I
driveway-surf
(I coined this term) where I'm invited
to park on people's property and borrow (pay for) some
electricity and water. I wrote a blog on
Driveway Surfing but nobody invited me to park/live in
their driveway or property. I've continued
the blog here on this web
site. While the
weather is warm I don't need a housesitting assignment, but I
certainly will when the temp falls in
October-November-December.
BACKGROUND
My first language is English; and my French and Spanish are
very rusty, but were passable when I hosted guests from
Quebec, France and Spain at my bed & breakfast. Because
of my attempt to speak Spanish I was able to sell my condo
to a Chilean couple in 2008. For a new assignment I will
gladly brush up on either language. I graduated from
Kent State University in Home Economics/Fashion and
Marketing and Communication. (I was on campus during the
shooting in 1970.) I also studied at Hiram College (Ohio),
Edinboro University (Pennsylvania), Ryerson University and
University of Toronto (Ontario), and Oxford University
(UK). I like to keep a clear head: I don't drink, smoke or
do any recreational drugs.
CITIZENSHIP
I carry a US passport and documents to prove I am a
Permanent Resident of Canada. I keep bank accounts in both
countries so I always have emergency funds for my own food
and out-of-pocket expenses. My vehicle has Pennsylvania
plates, but I also carry my old Ontario plates in case my
housesitting assignment is long-term.
MY CAT, CASPER
I had 3 cats, but two are gone and my remaining, all-white
cat Casper is a neutered male, 14 years old, but in good
health. Everyone who meets him, likes him. He is
up-to-date on all shots, travels freely across the
US-Canada border, has tested negative for infectious
diseases, and has never had parasites or fleas. He and his
brother were instrumental in saving my life when I had a
break-in, so I'm keeping him with me and happy, until it's
his time to go. I know some pet owners don't want another
animal in the house, but Casper does bring along his own
big dog crate and fence where he can be isolated if that is
required. If the weather is nice he can stay in the van.
"THE OLDER CAT"
Casper and his two (deceased) buddies Dickens and Jasper
were featured in a how-to book for cat owners by Dan
Poynter. My experiences with my cat's health issues
provided tips for the readers who may be facing similar
crises. (I also proofread the book for the author before
publication.)
PET-SITTER
SINCE 1976
My first house and pet sitting assignment was for a fellow
teacher in Toronto. I spent the weekend looking after
several pets. In the late 70's I was one of the original,
bonded pet-sitters for a company in Toronto called
House and
Home Minders. The
founder was Pat Norton. Most of my assignments were pet
visits in the High Park and north central Toronto areas.
(I'm not in Toronto presently so I'm not affiliated with
the current company's management.)
I have house-sat for as many as 8 cats at one time (whew),
and a variety of 8 pets at one time... but 1 or 2 pets
works for me. I clean out boxes, walk the dogs, twice daily
(more if necessary), do a lot of petting, cuddling,
brushing, playing, talking, watering and feeding, checking
each pet daily for any emerging health issues. I have
discovered pets with conjunctivitis, urinary blockages,
constipation, toothaches, and some with worms and
parasites. I get them treated immediately.
HOUSE
+ BUSINESS SITTER SINCE 1992
Because of my studies in interior design - same as some
HGTV hosts - I was invited to business-sit an interior
design establishment in Erie PA. Soon after I began to fill
in for vacationing bed and breakfast owners for a month at
a time. I had back-to back assignments in mansions and
Victorian homes in the city of Toronto, looking after
guests so the owners could continue earning income in their
absences. I even acted as temporary manager of the agency
that handled all the bookings for 25 B & Bs. I was
entrusted not only with their pets, homes and businesses,
but also their income and financial affairs. I did their
banking and kept good records.
FORMER
B & B OWNER
Eventually I saved enough
to launch my own B & B for authors on book tours. While
my hosting may not be relevant to pet and house-sitting, it
does go to show that I am a good manager, I maintain homes
to be presentable on a daily business, and I am capable of
handling any household emergency from frozen pipes to
non-functioning appliances.
POLICE
LIAISON
While serving on the Metro Toronto Community
Police Liaison Committee I met with my local police constables on
a weekly basis. One of the things I am most proud of was
assisting police in catching and identifying the serial
burglar who stole valuables from a dozen of my neighbors'
homes, and stopped him from robbing anyone else. I also
called in a house fire which I spotted from my apartment
window... just 2 blocks from Maple Leaf Gardens. The house
was saved because I acted promptly. In a city of over 3
million, mine was the only call to 9-1-1. I'm the person
you want protecting your home and valuables.
For
your safety and privacy, I don't disclose the address where I am
staying to anyone nor the names of the homeowners. I use my
own computer and email address, my own cell phone, and my
own mailing address from which I can have mail forwarded to
any local post office's "General Delivery."
"HANDY
ANDE"
More recently I have been de-cluttering and organizing
homes and offices, staging homes for greater profits and
faster sales; and also showing property managers, service
businesses and professional practices how to show more
appreciation to their tenants, clients and patients. These
are fee-based services but I can provide limited services
as part of my house-sitting: fridge and kitchen cupboard
organizing. Just ask.
IMMERSION
HOW-TO WRITER
Everything I write about comes from my own experiences. In
addition to writing business books on independent consulting, column
syndication, earning income as a speaker, raising
project funding from private investors; I also have
written booklets on thinking smarter, selling your home
faster, having more creative dates and outings,
outsmarting sweetheart swindlers, avoiding going-nowhere
(and abusive) relationships, and asking the right
questions before marrying. I pass along what I did, to
save others time, money, energy and sometimes heartache.
"THE
KINDNESS EXPERIMENT"
The book I'm writing now is about all the kind and generous
people I meet - over the past 13 years and now - and those
I meet who would benefit from reading the book (if you get
my drift). It's about how some of us reject the blessings
intended for us and act against our own best interests. I'd
hoped to crowd-fund this book, meaning early buyers would
have shared the profits of the book when it's published.
However in 8 months only one person actually invested in an
advance copy. Some
of the homeowners I sit for may receive free "shares" in
the book...my gift to those who invite me into their homes
so I can write in comfort.
FORMER
BUSINESS
For the better part of 32 years I owned a
Personal Public Relations firm in Toronto. My clients:
authors, consultants, physicians, dentists, lawyers. I
multiplied their "fan base" and income level by generating
TV + radio appearances and press interviews for them,
booking them to speak, getting them book publishing
contracts and column syndication contracts. I plan to
rebuild this once I have a home again that is permanent.
I
also appeared as a guest expert on many Canadian radio and
TV shows:
CFRB 1010 with Jane Hawtin, Bill Carroll, Alan Silverstein,
etc.
640 AM with Bill Carroll
CBC "Morningside" with Peter Gzowski
CBC "Metro Morning"
CBC "Venture"
"Dini" with Dini Petty
"Eye on Toronto" with Carla Collins and Robin Ward
"Breakfast Television" with Ann Rohmer
"Lunch Television" with John Majhor
"Shirley" with Shirley Solomon
"Global News at Noon" with Sherry Miller
"Frost Over Canada" with Sir David Frost
CBC "Basic Black" with Arthur Black
...and was featured in numerous newspapers:
The Globe and Mail
The Toronto Star
The Toronto Sun
The Oakville Beaver
All this is probably more than you ever wanted to know, but
because I'm a stranger and you'd be inviting me into your
home, I wanted you to know I am of good character and
well-known people have endorsed/vouched for me.
What can I do for you?
I was clowning for the camera
but didn't stop working on a new
installation for my client who owned this Queen St. art
gallery in Toronto.
I offer these general services and all the small steps
required in the process
- Bed and Breakfast Host Support
- Errand running
- Estate caretaking
- Food preparation
- Home decluttering (including hoarding situations)
- Home fashion construction
- Home ownership advocacy
- Home safety checks
- Home staging
- Household management
- House sitting
- Inventory (for insurance, Wills, etc.)
- Interior painting
- Meal planning and grocery purchasing
- Money Management
- Moving coordination/troubleshooting
- New home/apartment preparation
- Organizing personal and medical information
- Pet care and pet taxi
- Pickup and delivery
- Shopping
- Storage solutions
- School talks
- Yard/garage/contents sales
Contact me: handyande@AndreaReynolds.com