FRESH THYME
Have you ever left the house and wondered if you locked the front door or left that candle burning? Of course, you have! And it’s not just an “old age” thing, either. We even sometimes wonder if we turned off the stove. Just this weekend, one of us left the fridge door open – ugh! I was thinking about this and decided to make a checklist of things we’ve done lately to help us with staying safer and stronger…when we leave the home for a day or a week or more!
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At night and before we leave the house for trips, we do check the candles. Both of us! Because there have been times when I left one burning and he saw it. Thankful.​
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For sure, our bed is made when we leave. And is that a good thing? Well, it keeps the sheets fresh, makes us both happy when we return home, and looks pleasing to the eye…and that settles our souls…doesn’t it?​
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When we’re leaving for vacation, we use a packing list to help us not forget one single thing. There are lists you can print from the web and then make them your own, or you can just create one. I keep it in my notes and print out before we pack and leave, every single time. It helps!​
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If you’ve got a great neighbor, let them know that you’re leaving on a trip, just so they know. If you have a friend coming to water your yard, let the neighbor know that. Neighbors that watch out for each other are pure gold.
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Yep, that stove. I don’t even cook the night before a trip, because I just don’t want to clean the kitchen or make a mess, and I can check then to make sure all burners are OFF!
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Grab samples for your trips, from those bins at the pharmacy or Target. Keep them in a drawer just for travel and then grab those when you’re ready to pack, and you won’t have to panic.​
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Leave blinds shut when you leave home, especially if you’re leaving a light on in the home. You don’t want peepers into your private space! Shut blinds also help keep the house a bit cooler.​
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We used to leave our porch light or garage light on when leaving for a trip, but no more. We do, however, leave a light on in the hallway inside. We don’t leave outside lights on when at home, so turning them on when we leave seems to alert passerby’s that we are gone…​
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Don’t forget those plants. Here in Texas, they can’t go without watering for very long, so we do have a neighbor who graciously waters if we’re gone a while. And we always pay her and bring her back a treat!​
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On your packing list, make sure to have the reminder to take your license and any other ID’s with you! You never know that one time when he might forget his wallet, or you may have removed yours when changing purses!​
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Take out the trash. Okay, this is a no brainer, but there will be one person that throws away food in the can when you asked them not to, and that will not be a pleasant odor when you return home!​
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When you finally are in the car headed out or to the airport, etc. ask that question – did you lock the door? – and then turn around and look at your home to see that the garage door is indeed down and the front door is closed.