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Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets
This is the place for casual discussion about our pets.
Photos are welcome, show us your pet(s) and tell us about them!
This is the place for casual discussion about our pets.
Photos are welcome, show us your pet(s) and tell us about them!
https://ibb.co/2jwkrYf
https://ibb.co/rGFF4VL
Photos of my 3 mo old kitten, Juniper along with her older dog brother, Monty. They are starting to get along, although Monty has hard time accepting that she is a cat. They are starting to get used to each other.
This is so similar to what we’ve got going on at home!
We’ve had our dog Pippa now for 6 years. She’s very gentle and great with people and dogs, but she loves to chase cats. She’s a mix and definitely has some hound in her. So it took us a long time to decide if we wanted to introduce a cat, which we really wanted to have too.
This summer, friends had a litter and we pulled the trigger. We’ve adopted Smokey (male red tabby) and from the get go it has been clear he lacks fear. A perfect match for Pippa. It took us 6 weeks to do the training and all that hard work paid off. They are super comfortable with each other. Smokey is getting real big and will gnaw on Pippa’s hind legs, in return Pippa will bite him in his neck. Boundaries are kept and respected, so it never escalates.
It’s so much fun to have a cat around the house again!
https://imgur.com/a/vB4fnjW
I love that I-know-I'm-a-good-dog smile on Pippa's face!
We didn't think we would get another cat after we had to put down our last cat earlier this year due to cancer. Nor did we think we would get one so soon. Luckily, my dog grew up with my old cat, so he was socialized with a cat. Even though he liked to chase her around and old cat did not like my dog. But they get along well enough to not worry about leaving them alone in the house. So far, I Juniper is getting along well and would sniff my dog, Monty from time to time. I'm hoping they develop a play language soon.
I dunno, that kitten isn't looking as fresh as advertised anymore.
I'm hoping that she starts her fermenting phrase soon.
I remember when you posted about adopting her before. The pic makes it look like she and your dog are pretty comfortable with each other, or at least tolerant. Super cute!
I'm honestly surprised how fast she adjusted. My last cat took way longer to adjust and socialized, this one was a piece of cake. All it took was a toothbrush to show her scratches were a good thing. She started to cuddle on my lap in two days, I felt blessed. Now if she can pee on her litter box on the other hand.
My friends are coming to build me a house at the beginning of December! After 10 years, I'll finally not be living in a tent!! No pets to share, but I'm super excited!!
This needs more context! Where is it possible to live in a tent for 10 years? How are you building a house with friends? Congratulations either way!
Ha! Yeah, I guess it is a bit odd sounding from the outside. I've just talked about how I live a number of times on tildes that I didn't think to say more.
I live in the Chihuahuan desert near big bend national park. I have 10 acres there. To be honest I kind of lied, I haven't lived in a tent for 10 years, only 5, and the 5 prior to that, I lived in a van going cross country with my ex. I have been coming to this area for 10 years, however, and it is unequivocally home for me. My area has no building codes, and my friends are sustainable builders. So, they're coming down to build me a small house. 16x16. I'm so ready for four walls!...and as my friends keep reminding me, a roof and a floor too. It will be glorious!
I do have a shade structure, an outhouse and solar already. Eventually, I'll set up water catchment. The tent I've been living in is a 10x14 canvas wall tent. So it's like a little room. It's relatively comfortable, but it's definitely time to upgrade to a more permanent structure.
That's so interesting, congratulations! I have to imagine the better insulation from a solid structure would be beneficial during a desert night, at least. Will you have indoor plumbing at all? How do your friends do sustainable building? (I hope you don't mind the questions, I'm just curious.)
Questions are always welcome! I'll have piping put in for a sink which is grey water and will go into one of my very small arroyos, which I plan to dam incramentaly in order to slow down the water and eventually allow me to start permaculture. But I won't have water flow until I set up catchment. For now, I haul water. Eventually, my other friend will dig me an outlaw septic for a toilet, which will be separate from the house.
My builder friends have worked with cob, Adobe, and earthship building, but for my house, it will be stick (wood), which I will stucco the outside. Drywall on the inside. Much (but not all) of it will be reclaimed materials. My property is on a wash, so my house will be up off the ground by about a foot at least. As far as insulation goes, the most important is the roof, which will need to be R30. The walls will be insulated with R20. Fortunately, my floor won't need insulation, which will give the rodents less cause to nest. The reason I'm going the stick route is so that it can be done quickly, but well. Other methods take a much longer time. When I eventually get to building my forever house, it will most likely be Adobe, which will be a much longer and more involved process.
The thing I look most forward to, other than actually living in a house I can call my own, is that I got a nine pane 6ft by 5ft arched window that will frame a beautiful rock formation that's right across from me on my north side. It will be a perfect dining and writing space with a truly magnificent view.
I can't begin to express how fortunate I am to have the friends I have with the skills they have, and their not just willingness but shared excitement to bring this project to fruition. It's going to be a month of diligent work and hard labor, but with the support of my community, family, and friends, I'll soon be living indoors!
Sounds amazing. If you’re willing to share some pictures once you’re done, I’d love to see the result!
Definitely!
I'm excited for you! You sound very lucky to have such people in your life.
Is there any special way you will treat your grey water to make it dumpable on land? Biodegradable soap? I've heard you shouldn't have food particles in it because that would attract vermin. (I've begun living in an RV with no sewer hookup, so that was one possibility I tried looking into at one point.)
How come the floor doesn"t need insulation? Will the cold not seep right through, since it'll be above the ground? I'm not doubting, just curious to know!
Your window view sounds like it will be very soul-feeding! There must be a better term for that but it's all I can come up with right now. All I know is that being able to take in nature is something that sustains and heals me at a deep level.
Thank you!
Biodegradable soap is good, but dawn dish soap is just fine. In fact, dawn is used often with oil spill clean up and whatnot and isn't actually bad for the flora and fauna. It'll be piped far enough away from the house that food particles won't matter as much as far as vermin go.
Yes, I'm very fortunate to have the friends and access to knowledge that I do. Partly that comes from the lifestyle I chose and the people that attracts, but also my builder friends who are coming down I've known for almost a decade and are some of my very closest friends. We've been doing work exchanges for years now, so this is just another iteration.
My window veiw will definitely be spectacular and very good for my heart and soul. Where I live is wilderness. Humans are the exception, not the rule, and it brings me an incredible amount of peace and creative inspiration. It's not an easy lifestyle but a very satisfying one for me.
Your friends sound lucky to have you, too. :-)
That's kind of you to say :)
I forgot to touch upon floor insulation! The ground doesn't get cold like it does in other places, so floor insulation is just a waste of money and an invitation for rodents to nest. There is over 150 species of rodent in the chauahuan desert, and they'll get into whatever they can.
Oh, I meant since it will be above the ground, I was curious how the cold air under the floor wouldn't cause issues. But if the ground itself doesn't get cold, that sounds like it helps a great deal anyway. Rodent friends should definitely be encouraged to stay in their own homes and not yours.