Tree House

Introduction

Hi,. We are Joni Gerry and Denis Mcsweeny. Both of us are retired and enjoying the home we purchased in 2019 . We live in Grass Valley Ca at an elevation of 2'700 feet. Our home is on roughly 5 acres on the top of a hill and surrounded by trees. The house is 3,400 sq ft but doesn't feel huge because it's divided into two stories. The top story has 2 bedrooms, the kitchen, living area and deck. The bottom floor has two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living area and laundry room. The sitter would have access to the entire house but, this is the area the sitter would sleep. There is a King size bed and a queen size. Sitters choice of room. We have a large kitchen, which is well stocked with most spices and many oils and vinegar's. The kitchen opens out onto a big deck with table, chairs and a propane grill. In addition to the house there is a pool, a hot tub a greenhouse (empty in the summer) , a chicken coup and a veggie garden. The sitter is invited to use the spa, the pool, and any veggies that are available. The eggs are fresh and delicious. We hope you will enjoy them during your stay. There is very little level ground on our property. Lots of elevation changes and stairs. Mobility is important. It is a lovely and very private place to be. Our little community (4 homes) is only about 10 minutes from downtown grass valley but feels like country living.

Show more...

Home & location

Living here is a bit like being on vacation much of the time! This property is very private but a short 10 minute drive lands you in Grass Valley, which is a gold mining era town with cute shops and good restaurants. Nevada City is a whopping 15 min drive and has a lovely historic downtown with cute shops and good food. Lots of good walking/hiking around. this area. We are about a 2hr dive from Tahoe to the East and 3 hours to San Francisco to the West We do not have high speed internet as we are on satellite. So if you want to stream watch TV/movies you will be disappointed. Cell phone reception can be iffy depending on your provider, but we do have a land line. If you are remote working there are many lovely coffee shops in town that offer free high speed internet. Ours is just not fast enough to support most peoples requirements for work.

Show more...

Responsibilities

Conor is a big boy. About 120 lbs of pure sweetness. He loves children and other dogs, doesn't always realize he is bigger than they are. Cats and chickens are to be chased. Given the opportunity he will sneak off down the hill to play with Coty. A beautiful Golden Retriever. Conor He is used to his "people" getting up early and will come to remind you if you're not up and about. He is fed twice a day and though we take him for walks it is local only because he is not so good on a leash. He has free reign of the house and backyard. We don't let him roam outside of the fenced area unless we are with him. He is not traffic smart and the nearest road is busy and less than 1 mile from our home. Conor loves pets and hugs. His favorite toys are all the lovely sticks and branches we have about us. I usually use two of them, since he is not inclined to bring them back to you. We do not allow him up on the furniture (he will tell you otherwise). He typically sleeps in our room in his own bed and will try to do the same with you, but fair warning... he snores... Conor has developed an autoimmune condition that requires medication two times daily. He is pretty good about taking meds, but isnt happy with the flavor. We have solved that by grinding up the meds, mixing them in with pumpkin puree or some broth and mixing that in his food. It is working for now (Nov 23). It is not uncommon for Conor to walk away from his food and refuse to eat. This is especially true in the first few days we are gone. He will eventually adjust and begin to eat again, so not to worry. We currently have 14 chickens. They have to be let out in the morning and closed in at night. The free range area they have is fully fenced. They have an automatic water source and a large feeder in the coup but we also provide additional water outside. We would want the sitter to collect eggs and to enjoy eating the eggs as well. Depending on the length of our vacation you may need to refill the feeder. Our landscape and vegetable garden are all on automatic sprinklers. There may be a need to supplement watering depending on the weather. We can discuss that when you arrive. The deck has plants that need hand watering as well. There are interior plants but unless we are gone for longer that 5 or 6 days they won't need care. We would hope the sitter would harvest veggies and enjoy eating them. We have a greenhouse that depending on the time of year will need watering as it is not automated. We can talk about that when you arrive. Conor is used to having us around most of the time. However, he is successful when left alone for periods of time. We do need the sitter here morning and evening. We would want to meet the sitter prior to us leaving. Either the day prior or the day of.

Show more...

Meet the pets

Photo of Conor

Conor

8 years

Sitter Reviews (3)

Homeowner Reviews (1)

User Avatar
None
User Avatar
None

Five stars all around! Joni and Dennis were welcoming and hospitable. Their home is clean, beautiful, peaceful and most relaxing. Sitting on the deck amongst the trees you feel quite remote, but anything you need is about a ten-minute drive away. We spent most of the sit just relaxing at home with Conor. They also have a fabulous kitchen for those who like to cook (like us). It's so well equipped you might have to look around to find everything. But everything is there. You've probably never seen more perfectly seasoned cast iron skillets. Conor is the star of the sit. He's a polite gentleman living in a dog's body. He's amazingly well behaved and a perfect host. Even at 8 years old, he has an adorable "puppy face". We absolutely fell in love with him. He's not at all needy but will take all the hugs and pets you can offer. He's a giant cuddly teddy bear and just wants to be near you. Conor likes short off-leash walks on a street just up the hill behind the property and is great at recall, although he doesn't stray far from you to begin with. He also loves to dance with you in the yard. ;). He's very quiet inside, and only barks outside when he "sees" something. Often something that isn't visible to the human eye. The chickens were easy. They have I'd guess nearly a quarter acre just to themselves to roam during the day and cluck-about happily. They were very productive when we were there. We miss Conor already and certainly hope to return for a future sit!

Show more...
Communication:
Hospitality:
Cleanliness:
Pets Behavior:
Listing Accuracy:
Stayed: 24 Apr 2024 - 04 May 2024
User Avatar
None
User Avatar
None

I had a lovely time caring for Conor and the 16 chickens at Joni and Dennis' house. The house is lovely and I enjoyed the majestic trees and beautiful landscaping. The whole experience was wonderful!!

Show more...
Stayed: 20 Apr 2022 - 28 Apr 2022
User Avatar
None
User Avatar
None

Joni and Denis are the most incredible people. They invited us to come stay the night before they left to go over everything, and we had a wonderful dinner with them. Conor was so well behaved and incredibly sweet. He will stay close to you wherever you go and loves cuddles and attention. We already miss him! Their house is so peaceful and quiet up in the forest, with a beautiful garden and pool. After they got back, we stayed an extra night just so we could spend more time with them. They went above and beyond to make us feel like family. We couldn’t recommend them enough! Thank you Joni and Denis for everything 🙏🏼

Show more...
Stayed: 31 Jul 2021 - 06 Aug 2021
User Avatar
User Avatar
Joni

Joe and Casey were wonderful from first contact. We booked quite a way out and Joe checked in a couple times just to confirm all was good. They arrived early as we requested and both of them looked to our dog Conor before really talking to us. In my mind that's worthy of 5 stars all by itself. During the tour of our property, they asked all the right questions. During our trip they communicated every day with pictures and any concerns (few). They resolved a problem with our spa (one we haven't encountered) with minimal input from us. Our chickens didn't care one way or another, but were healthy and all accounted for. The house was very clean and our boy was healthy and happy, though he pouted for a day. (Because they left I think). If they apply to watch your home... Accept them straight away. We will absolutely invite them back!!!

Show more...
Organised
Reliable
Clean and tidy
Self-sufficient
Pet care
Grass Valley · -
Joni
Last time sitter needed: 10 months 24 days ago