We have had baby #6, who isn't called that anymore. We call her Emmy Belle.
Currently....
We tend 17 chickens, who make breakfast for us - can your pet do that?
We tend 9 guinea fowl who eat ticks and 'squitos for us.
We tend 3 ducks, who look purty on our pond.
We tend 7 cats (anyone need a good mouser?) including 4 kittens who clean up rodents on the place.
We tend a nice size garden that is givin' out squash, zucchinis, and purple-hull peas...we'll see if the other veggies and fruits come in. Some say "don't count your chickens before they hatch", I say "don't count your cantaloupe 'til they're ripe".
Then there's the swimmin' pool to play in and clean, the flower beds to water, and children (my personal favorite thing to maintain around here) to raise.
So my comment to the Tim man last night was, "anything that needs maintenance will require work". This was my pithy reply to his observation that "You sure are sweaty". He seemed to be concerned that I was having to expend alot of energy on the baby guineas in the evenings. I explained that the keets continue to try to roost on the roof of the chicken house at night, and I am afeared that they will unwittingly become a tasty treat for our sneakiest cat, Bilbo. So nightly, I chase the ungrateful little birds around to put them back in their pen for the night.
He questioned if they were worth it. With a shocked expression, (the impertinence!) I said the same could be asked of his riding lawnmower - since we got it a year ago, Tim has replaced the blades 3-4 times and about 2 or 3 other smaller parts. True, he runs over unseen stumps and fallen tree limbs on his joyrides, (don't drive the thing in the dark, I don't care if it has headlights!) so it's not the mowers fault. Still. Lots of maintenance.
Anyways, my point is, don't be afraid of a little sweat. Anything worth having will need maintenance, and that will mean work, and for most of us, at least those of us in Texas in July, that will equal sweat. The fruits of your labor will be worth it (grown guineas that keep the insects at bay, or a beautifully maintained piece of land...) and you can take a shower when you're done.
