My dog Sili had the patience of a saint. She never complained. She never lost her cool. She never turned on Cashew, though i myself was ready to pull my hair out 80 percent of the time. Sili had infinite forgiveness for Cashew. She seemed more amused by her behavior than threatened or upset. There …
Author Archives: homesteadingon2acres
My Escape Artist
Australian Shepherds are known for being smart. Nobody ever said those smarts had to be used for good. They just said the dogs were smart. I started noticing things while i was working on projects or cooking in the kitchen. I would turn around and Cashew’s crate would be closer to me than i remembered …
A Pink Surprise
When i moved into the tiny house i noticed a bare-branched bush right off the stairs of the porch underneath the cedar tree that would one day hold an end of the laundry line. I wondered what it was but there were no leaves to identify it by. As spring awoke many other things, even …
The Spanish Oak
When the leaves first unfurled they were paper thin, flimsy, and jungle-green. The tree looked so vibrant standing in the yard against the backdrop of dark-green cedars. It looked very impressive. As the days ticked on the leaves solidified and became thicker and darker green. Back when those leaves were still thin and veiny, when …
The First of our Fruit Trees
When i was a child my mother came home one day with a stick in a pot. Everyone thought she was crazy because she’d paid money for a leafless stick. Well she planted that leafless stick in the ground next to our house. She watered it faithfully. During the winter she placed the plastic kids …
Teething Troubles
Just like a baby, a young dog goes through a totally natural phase of drool and destruction called teething, in which you have to safe guard everything you own, including their siblings and/or their collars and identification tags. She was like one of those automatic vacuum bot commercials gone wrong. She would follow us all …
Cashew’s Puppy Pics
Photo 1 is a picture of one of Cashew’s famous 30 minute naps. As soon as she was out i would snap a picture and then lay down wherever i was; usually on the floor. She could wake up at any minute and it was best to sleep while one could. Sili would follow my …
Love at First Sight
I was terrified that Sili would reject Cashew. She’s super picky about other dogs. She doesn’t usually like them. After Cashew was given the all clear by the veterinarian i decided it was time for Sili and Cashew to meet. I set them both down in the same room and quietly melted into the walls. …
Cashew’s First Bath
When i first brought her home Cashew was too little to be able to effectively regulate her body temperature. She was too young to bathe so i just dealt with the fleas. I tried not to think about them but if i parted her fur with my fingers there were hundreds of them crawling all …
The Early Days
During the early days i was so tired i couldn’t think. I was sleeping an average of two hours at a time. The puppy cried if it was hungry, cried if it was sleepy, cried if it wanted attention, cried if it was about to or had just gone potty. It cried for every reason …