Help around the house and enjoy the Okotoks, Canada

Details

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  Description

  Short term, or possible longer term stays
  
  
  Hi!
  
  I am a busy, involved, grandmother who likes to stay active. I enjoy hiking, learning pickleball, work from home, learning Spanish, play ukelele, sing etc.
  
  I could use some help with a few organizational and seasonal maintenance projects like garden weeding, deep cleaning, deck staining and garage organizing. If you have any carpentry skills, I want to build an entertainment centre and do some inside house painting. If this interests you, I’m open to short term as in 2 - 3 week max for these projects.
  
  I am also open to a long term “room mate/live in housekeeper” of sorts, if I found the right person. My least favourite thing to do is housework of any kind, however, I do love a clean house. Duties would include upkeep of ALL housekeeping chores. Dusting, vacuum, laundry, changing beds, washing floors, windows, dishes etc. In order to maintain the 20 hour minimum weekly workaway hours, other chores such as listed above and some others would also be included. If you can help me with computer skills, that would be a huge bonus! AND, if you can speak Spanish and help teach me…WOW!
  
  I live in the town of Okotoks, which is about a 20 minute drive to Calgary, a 30 minute drive to mountain hiking trails and about an hour and a half away from Banff. Okotoks has a lovely downtown area with many original boutique and funky stores. Great restaurants and beautiful walking trails that connect the whole town. A river runs through the centre of town and is great for a kayak adventure or nice to walk along.
  
  Calgary is a thriving metropolis with tons of things to do and see. I live 15 minutes from the outskirts of the city, from where you can connect to city transit.
  
  I have a very well behaved and loving chihuahua, who loves company.
  
  For both long or short term stays, I will provide breakfast foods, cereal, yogurt, toast, eggs, fruit, coffee, tea etc. , although, you are responsible for preparing your own breakfast. Lunch will be soup, chilli, salads, leftovers, or sandwiches. Sometimes I will prepare lunch, other times you are on your own. Breakfast and lunch is provided daily, with sandwich fixings available for days off excursions.
  
  For short term stats, full course evening meals are provided on working days. Days off, you are responsible for your own dinners, although you are welcome to leftovers or sandwiches etc. Long term…we would follow the rule of I cook, you clean, you cook, I clean for the evening meals. Meal prep/clean up would not be included in the weekly 20 hour minimum hours, nor would cleaning of your personal space and belongings.
  
  Your accommodations would consist of sharing my home, which is a 1400 sq ft bungalow. You’d have the spare room and a mostly private bathroom to yourself, although, I will use the bathtub once or twice a week as I only have a shower in my room.
  
  Having a car during your stay is extremely beneficial as there is a lot to see in the surrounding area, but, transportation is an issue. Canada is limited in bus or train service outside major city limits. There is bus service from Okotoks into Calgary, where you can connect to Banff.
  
  In order to give you ample time to explore the beautiful Canadian Rocky Mountains and everything else the area has to offer, I am open to working longer days, with more full days off, if you prefer as long as you meet the 20 hour minimum weekly requirement. This works well for short term workers. Long term, we would work something out that suits us both.
  
  Now…the tricky part…privacy. Of course you will not be banned to your bedroom, however, I am used to living alone and I do value my alone time. I will provide a tv in your room along with a desk. Perhaps, if you are interested in learning ukelele, we could play a bit. Maybe backgammon or crib? An evening walk or movie. We will have to work that out. I’m certainly not looking for constant companionship and in turn, I will also respect your privacy.
  
  Short term, I would be open to 2, however, if the idea of long term appeals to you, I would only be looking to host one person.
  
  Also, if long term is of interest to you and you happen to have a Canadian work permit…or you are Canadian, as long as weekly hours are met, I would be fine with you working outside the home. If the live in situation works and if we ever catch up with all of the tasks around here to where 20 hours/week is not making sense, then, we would figure it out from there.
  
  For the record…I am NOT vegan nor vegetarian and prefer you are not either.
  
  Phew…that was a lot, but, I believe open communication and clear expectations make for more enjoyable stays.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Events & social

  

  Charity work

  

  Music

  

  Languages

  

  Gardening

  

  Carpentry

  

  Fitness

  

  Nature

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Hiking
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  I'm a fairly handy kind of girl, however, I think we would both benefit from sharing our skills. Evenings you are welcome to explore the town and area. If you stay in, I'm open to some backgammon and/or ukelele playing I have 3 and could teach you basics. Also, nights are cooling down, we could enjoy an outdoor fire.

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  Help

  My "to do" list is varied. Ideally, you have varied skills. My garage is a disaster! I need someone with a few muscles and strong organization skills. I want help with sorting, selling, chucking and organizing. I will work with you to finally accomplish this task properly.
  
  From now until fall, general garden weeding, spreading mulch and painting the deck and railings. In the fall,I need the garden beds to be cleared out and put to bed and help with some light canning.
  Lots of fresh veggies in my garden starting in July thru to the fall.
  
  Inside my house, i could use help organizing, as well as a deep spring/fall cleaning including windows. I want to build a wall unit entertainment center with a built in electric fireplace. Nothing too fancy, but, if you have carpentry skills, that is a BIG plus. I have all the tools necessary.
  
  I could use help with laptop set up.
  
  Also, I may ask you to house/dog sit if I want to go away for a few days.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  I speak limited Spanish, but, would love to learn more! I “practise” with a small group of wannabe Spanish speakers and we love it when Spanish speakers attend our get together.
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  Accommodation

  If you stay in my guest room either a single or king bed. You will have the main washroom nearby and lots of privacy.

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  What else ...

  I would suggest that you do lots of research on the area so you know what you would like to do and see during your visit. The area has so much to offer that i could never list everything here. I will help out when I can, but, you will have lots of free time to explore if you choose to work longer days. Although I may join you on an occasional outing, I am far from a tour guide. I am quite used to my privacy, so, don't ever feel like you have to "keep me company". I enjoy seeing travellers get out and experience the area in the evenings or on days off.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  My internet connection is good, strong and fast. There is a small desk set up in a spare room.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  I do have a parking pad in the back yard.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Good fenced yard and pet friendly home. Small dogs preferred, we can discuss

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

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