We’re keeping a very long to-do list (actually, a ta-da list) and something that became clear to me this morning.  Throughout a year, you have to do a lot of things.  Taxes, yard work, car care, healthcare, dog care, etc. etc. etc.  Over the course of a year, these things get sprinkled over weekends and bursts of productivity. It's manageable.

What we’re finding now, is that all of these things are being compressed into the weeks and months before we leave. The to-do list is full of things that don’t need to be done today, but will need to be done in the next year. 

An example is yard work.  We love our garden and spend a significant amount of time keeping it up.  While Mark (Sachi’s bro who is living in our house) will do a LOT, we don’t expect him to tend the plants. So, this weekend is all about pruning, seeding, fertilizing and mulching for the next year.  While the garden would survive over the year, we want the peace of mind knowing that we did what we could to save the plants for our return.