How Alpacas Have Changed My Life
Yuk! Sounds like the title of a really bad essay one of my long-ago seventh graders might have written. That title, however, has some validity – some aspects of my life have changed since living with these incredible animals. For instance…
- My diet… Chocolate covered peanuts and raisins will never appeal to me again. As a matter of fact, chocolate, chunky ANYTHING is pretty much off my food list!
- My personality…I love to smile. Those first few weeks after trading 138 high school students for a handful of alpacas, I smiled a lot, especially in the mornings while I scooped poop. It was hard not to. But…I don't smile or laugh aloud while scooping poop anymore, and for pretty much the same reason chocolate is off my diet.
- My exercise regimen…there is no longer any need for expensive gym memberships or exercise machines. The BSSD (bend-scoop-spin-dump) daily cardio workout is doing just fine. Throw in the occasional *CDR (climb-drop-run) aerobic exercise and you have the perfect regimen. *The CDR is only used when 2 or more hormonal males challenge one another; the bugling, ear-piercing screams instantly alarm me, my husband, and the neighbors. Remember, we're all still new at this!
- My wardrobe… I get to wear the same outfit three days or more in a row. (I just store it in a hamper for farm clothes only). I traded dresses, dress shoes, stockings, slips, and suits for faded, tattered, stained jeans, that got that way naturally at no extra charge, and a pair of ugly but comfortable rubber work boots. And I save a bunch of money on dry cleaning too!
- Cost of chocolate
- Cost of diet pills to counteract chocolate in diet
- Cost of gym membership
- Cost of going to gym
- Cost of exercise equipment cause I got tired of going to the gym
- Dry cleaning bill
- Cost of no-name jeans and rubber boots versus dresses, stockings, suits, dress shoes