Diary of a Country Girl

Chapter Nineteen:

Dear diary,

Tre and I finally feel like we’re catching our breath. Life has settled into a routine, or at least a comfortable rhythm. Tre’s parents get a lot of credit for that. Their help with even little tasks has been a godsend. Their new home isn’t far away. Consuela has been helping out with Kya, watching her while Tre and I are at the farm shop.

She pitches in and prepares meals for Tre and I to grab in a hurry also. I say this a lot, but my mother-in-law is an angel. I grew up with all the girl-power mantras. I believe in the message with all my heart. But I've learned it's okay to not be superwoman all the time, not always trying do everything, be everything, and fly solo. It's okay to put your hand up and say, "Hey, little help over here please." My mom and Consuela are both great examples of that.

Where was I...oh yeah. We had been bringing Kya to the shop with us. I had a playmat set up for her near the register. I thought I’d be able to keep an eye on her, but it’s nearly impossible. There’s just too much that needs to be done that I can’t be with her constantly. We had a couple of incidents lately that really drove home the point that the shop isn’t a good place for an infant, or even a toddler. No matter how close by we are.

The other day I had a run-in with a belligerent customer. Not sure what her problem was. She was in a mood when she walked in and when I went to welcome her she rounded on me and let me have an earful. Then she stormed out. I’ve never been so glad to see someone walk out the door.

Then there was the fight. I still don’t know exactly what happened. I called Onyx and asked him to bring over a couple crates of tomatoes. He brought them in and I was in middle of restocking the bins when I heard the commotion. I turned around to see him and Dylan Sigworth throwing hands.

Both of them are normally quiet, friendly, really chill. From what I can gather, Dylan thought Onyx had made a derogatory comment to him. That doesn’t sound like the Onyx I know. I talked to Jess and she said Dylan had been stressed out over work lately. Onyx is still baffled about what set Dylan off.

The whole situation is just crazy awkward since it’s our ranch hand and one of my best friend’s husband. That detail aside, the fight was the last straw. For Kya's safety Consuela is going to babysit her while we're at the shop. When Kya's older we can revisit having her come to the shop with us. We just don't feel safe having her there anymore.

Aside from those two incidents the shop has been a huge success. Our produce is a hit. I wish our nectars sold better. But it’s not like they aren’t selling. They are. It’s just that those sell better online and at other venues. Word of mouth has gotten around, mostly from customers at the steakhouse, and we’re doing big business.

We had a wonderful surprise recently. My girl Piccolo is a mommy! I never had her spayed because I wanted to keep this possibility open. The big surprise was who the father turned out to be. Nacho, Tre’s parent’s Golden Retriever.  We couldn’t be more delighted. The puppies are just the most adorable little things ever!

The little one’s names are, Churro, Chewy, and Bijou. Since we had our hands full Piccolo stayed with Consuela and Delmond until her pups had been weened. Now that they are, Piccolo is back with us and we’re taking turns bringing one of the pups over to stay for a few days. Churro was the first one to come stay with us. He’s a little sweetie and he absolutely adores Kya.

Churro is back with Tre’s parents and now it’s Bijou’s turn. She’s Piccolo’s tiny twin.

She reminds me so much of Picc when she was a puppy. It's like turning back the clock.

We still haven’t made any final decisions about who’s going to keep the puppies, or if we want to have them adopted. My heart is saying we're on the right track. It'll be good for Tre's parents to have the pups around along with Nacho. I see how Consuela's eyes sparkle when she looks at the pups and she has so much love to share.

She's never said anything, but I suspect she was feeling lonely on some level with just her and Delmond in Del Sol Valley. She's slightly farther away from her family in Cuidad Enamorada, but now she has us and our little extended family. People here are friendlier than the big city too and they've made her feel at home. Chestnut Ridge has a hispanic and indigenous culture too so she hasn't lost that connection to home.

 I really enjoy having her around and learning more about her culture. And best of all hearing her stories about Tre as a child!

"Seriously you two? I'm right here. I can hear you"