Hooray for how-to books!

(Lookee me, two posts in a day!)

I owe Ashley English, author of the Homemade Living series, a HUGE debt of gratitude! She has single-handedly dissuaded me from keeping bees AND chickens!!  My husband is thrilled.

I've been threatening to try beekeeping for about five years now.  I almost went to a free beekeeping seminar at the local beekeepers' club.  I think I was trying to quit my job and make a living selling honey and beeswax candles.  Sounds like me.  Anyway - the book was great, super easy to read and very detailed about what's involved in keeping bees.  A LOT!  A lot of time, a lot of money (well, some anyway) and...did I mention a lot of time?  In addition to bi-weekly inspections of your hives, you also have to devote an ENTIRE weekend to honey harvesting!  I get one hour a day, maybe an hour and a half if I'm lucky, while Katie naps.  That's it!  Rain, shine, weekday, weekend, doesn't matter. One hour a day.  So beekeeping is out.

Likewise chickens.  I thought it would be cute to have a pair of hens softly clucking away in the backyard, producing lovely eggs (we hardly ever eat eggs, so they wouldn't have to do much work.)  But the first chapter filled me in on how much work it is to take care of chickens!  They need to be fed, cleaned up after (well duh, I knew that, but every day??) let out in the morning and locked up at night.  And the eggs need to be gathered multiple times daily.  Zomg!  So we're done with that.  Sometimes I wonder about my sanity.  I can't even keep my sink clear of dishes, let alone clean out a chicken coop?  Even once a month would be a stretch!  Ohhhhhh denial...

Now if only she'd write a book on keeping sheep for wool...  ;)  JUST KIDDING!  (half kidding.)