I will be the first to admit it: I would rather be outside doing almost anything than be inside cleaning the house, doing laundry or most anything related to “house keeping”.  Ask my husband, he’ll more often than not find me  with a pair of loppers or pruners, a lawn rake, shovel or wheelbarrow doing something outside.  Short of mowing the lawn (temperamental mower) or the chainsaw/ weed whacker I’ll do any landscape thing you ask of me.

I’m sure there are other Ladies just like me, and I would love to find a few to hang out with and share chores but I just haven’t found any that I know of….yet.  I know many women who will have their flower and vegetable gardens, and believe me there are a lot of work to keep going, but I haven’t found one who likes getting dirty and sweaty.

My husband is a great guy but he does the mowing and stuff because he has to, not because he likes it. He really is a more of a thinker than doer.   I really don’t mind that I am the one scrubbing the deck as long as he doesn’t mind that I am not scrubbing the floor. Our house is generally clean enough to be healthy but not spotless.

I do have to say he is really good about the “hardscape” around the house, but I think that is more related to the planning and doing than the hard work. Last year he put in a walkway for us with paver stones–this was after we put in a drainage system/ window well and dug everything up. I’m more of the laborer than the doer in these situations–he is such a detail oriented kind of guy (and the walkway looks great because of it!) that he gets into that more than I have patience for.

I do have to tell you part of the reason I enjoy the physical labor–it really burns off the calories!!  Aside from building ‘real’ muscles’ (versus gym ones) my clothes fit a whole lot nicer these days! I’ve shrunk several clothes sizes since I am engaging my core muscles with almost everything I do outside.  I may not be as strong as some of the “big guys” but I am a lot stronger than I look….and I have the muscles to prove it.