The Displaced Cactus is a blog dedicated to thoughts about Pacific Northwest living, local events, eating out, DIY projects, tea, cider, having a dog, and all of the other facets of life that are worth blogging about.

Cast of Characters

AJ, site owner and author

Pronouns: she/her/hers

AJ is a former desert native (12 years in Southern California, 22 in Tucson, Arizona) who decided to up and move to the Seattle area in 2016. She currently works as a part-time executive assistant, which has freed her up to return to her first love: writing.

In addition to writing, AJ enjoys a lot of other things: dancing, reading, crafting, trying new food and drink, making cocktails, exploring neighborhoods and small towns, and petting all the dogs.

Chris, partner in life and adventure

Pronouns: they/them/their

Chris is AJ’s long-time partner who does not generally like to have pictures of themself on the internet. Chris works in tech. Despite having a demanding career they also manage to cook a lot of delicious food at home.

Chris shares AJ’s love of eating out, drinking tea and cider, and going to new places, as well as petting all the dogs.

Emma, adventure dog

Pronouns: she/her/hers but also she’s a dog, she has no concept of gender

Emma is a young corgi who we adopted from CARES in July, 2022. She loves people and other dogs, and enjoys joining us at dog-friendly businesses. She is always up for a snack or a game of fetch.

In Memorium: Daisy and Maggie

Daisy and Maggie were our first corgis. Bonded littermates, we adopted them when they were young adults. They traveled from their foster home in NM to our home in AZ, and then joined us on the move to WA years later. You will see them referenced in older posts. They were very good girls and we loved them very much.