What Has To Be Tended Before We Leave
July 30, 2026
Before travel, the home keeps living. That is what has to be remembered. The house does not pause just because we leave for a few days. Chickens still need care. Cats still need care. Porch plants, indoor plants, and garden plants still need water, especially in the middle of a Texas summer. Our cats have their own rhythms. Bandit is orange and white and mostly lives outside doing his own thing, but he comes in for snuggles when he decides to. Margo is tiny and spoiled and looks a little like a little bobcat. She likes to go outside and come back in about twenty times a day, and she is very vocal about it.
The plants are the biggest summer travel concern. I cannot leave porch plants, indoor plants, and garden plants without someone set to water them. In this heat, that would not be care. It would be neglect. Preparation is one of the ways a home is loved. Not dramatic preparation. Practical preparation. Who is watering? Who is checking? What needs to be set up so the living things keep living?
Leaving well is part of tending well.
With love and intention,
Jennifer
