A strange and sad coincidence

Two years ago, on Memorial Day weekend I found out my dad had cancer. Three weeks and a day later, he was gone.

Yesterday, his long time caretaker on the property (who had left briefly right before my dad got sick, but came back after he passed and has been taking care of the property for the last two years in his absence), passed away, three weeks and a couple days after being diagnosed with liver cancer. He was only 62.

The timing and similarities have brought back waves of emotion from my dad passing, as well as sadness that this man had no family or friends other than my dad and the people he met through him over the years. Two of those people stepped in and helped care for him, and sit with him during his final days, and for that we are so thankful.

I am also thankful that hospice was able to get involved quickly, and the process to get him on Medicaid went much smoother than anticipated. The state should pay for most of his medical bills and funeral home expenses.

However, this leaves us in kind of a pickle when it comes to the property. In order to keep operating it as Airbnb cabins, we really need a handy and self motivated caretaker to reside on the property. It would be nice if this person wanted to stay there year round, but we have been closing the cabins up in the winter, so potentially it could be a seasonal position. 

Here are some options:

1. Bring your own RV or tiny house, and hook up to electricity, but I think you would still need to use the outhouses on the property, I don’t believe there’s a way to hook up gray water.

2. Finish/fix up a structure on the property that my dad named the yurt, that is actually a round stick built structure with a sleeping loft, and very rustic kitchen set up.

Both of these options are right next to a garden space that could be revived, and a chicken coop that could be used. We use to have chickens, but got rid of them when Rich got sick. I did think it was a nice touch to have fresh eggs to leave for guests, and it made the cabins feel more like a farm stay. This space sits on a 5 acre parcel that is separate from where the cabins are located, so you would have privacy and your own driveway, and would be responsible for all of the upkeep and maintenance on the property, as well as cleaning the cabins in between stays, and arranging for contractors to come take care of things that are beyond your skill level.

The third option would be to actually live in one of the cabins while we rent out the other one. The one that would be available to live in is a furnished one bedroom with electricity, running water, and a composting toilet. The toilet needs to be cranked weekly and emptied once or twice a year. 

We have someone interested that we will be meeting with next month when we are at the property to scatter my dad’s ashes. If that person ends up not working out, I will come back and edit this post to include additional details and photos, in case you know anyone who might be interested. (We have been advertising on Facebook but a couple of you mentioned that you wished there was a way you could share details with people who might not have Facebook.)

A big thank you to everyone who has stepped in to help, offer ideas and advice, pray, and share our posts. Although it feels like a search for a needle in a haystack, we are hopeful that we can find someone to care for the property in our absence and keep at least one of the cabins open so that guests can continue to come enjoy this magical place that my dad poured his heart and 50 years of his life into.