Hey Mrsd...we are not married to the same man are we???

We are going on 35 years, and in the last 7 years he has had to help me 'care' for myself when I had an arm in a cast for 6 weeks, broke my arm in 4 places cross country skiing-don't ask.
Then a full leg cast...don't have a clue how my tibia broke, but it was clear the doctor did not want me to move....(that lasted only a few days) but a few bodily functions were complex and not accomplished alone.
Let's not forget when I degloved my index finger kiteskiing...(that ended my extreme sports endeavors however I still do power kite on occassion, just not on frozen lakes with open water or on windy days on skis-I have learned my limits---to an extent).
Then there was the PICC line for 4 months, and I knew I could trust him when he told me to 'shut up and let him do the sterile dressing change!' (Now I am a nurse (not in the field right now-all good things come to an end, not that I don't have a lot of that knowledge still stored in my 'smaller' female brain.) Let's not forget how small the 'I-Pod' type device is and how well it still functions. Not all things are better bigger.

He supervises the people, who supervise criminals, out on probation and parole. Can you imagine THAT job?

With the PICC line, he got the last word, as it is not a one handed endeavor, and lo and behold, he did not need my unsolicited advice!! He did a whole lot better than that nurse that went to Mel's to give Alan IVIG!! Not a single break in aseptic technique,...I was awed, and I was relieved, and learned I can actually, at times, keep my mouth shut.)

Lest I demystify myself any further....I will say, Mrsd.....on the underwear issue, my mate wears them to shreds! It appears I will have to continue to buy them. Perhaps I should stock some up, just in case I am not around, my Lord what will he do?

He now does the bills, the dishes and laundry, and has never neglected to coach a season of kids' athletics, or at least 'assist' the coach. He didn't always do all those things, he just assumed many of them, without asking. I let him. He has never grumbled.

He always mowed the lawn, until we got the tractor, and I got dibs. He even gave ME the John Deere hat! (He is relieved to be rid of the chore, as it still takes 2 and a half hours, with the riding mower. Yes, he tells me if I miss a spot, but that is OK.)

I drive a stick better, but he takes the car for oil changes. I change the flat tires on our bikes and adjust the derailleurs. When he makes a mess shifting his chain into his gears, I have to stop and help him.

I use a cell phone better, but he never fails to answer when I call 5 times in a row for some stupid reason...he sometimes disconnects me, inadvertently, I assume.

Up to recently, I have done every interior painting job. You can tell.

I check his email or he loses his address. I have run out of names for him, so I figure better to check it and read it...he doesn't care. It is boring email.

I call in the meds, he picks them up.

He lets me have 3 huge dogs that he is allergic to, and they sleep in our bed sometimes.

He has never cleaned a bathroom and has no idea how.

The toilet is a mystery to him, sort of like an artesian well, and he calls me when we have a plumbing problem. Yes, I put in the faucets and light fixtures.

I pick weeds by hand, (then can't type for a week when it counts.) He can't tell a good plant from a bad one, but HE does the rototiller, as I couldn't even start it. I had better be there to direct where he points it, or well, the plant is toast.

That said, I will pick up rocks that are way too heavy, and perservere into the night, when he says...'I'm done', and that is the point when a reasonable person would stop.

He tells me what is practical, I tell him what is ideal. He tells me what he thinks is achievable, and I push farther HOWEVER he has gone the distance, when I have given up.

He is quieter, but apparently not more passive. I am more verbal and cantakerous, but not more powerful. After 35 years of living together, there are no doubt things about him that I do not know, strength I will likely never comprehend, vulnerability I may never see. That is his character.

Somewhere in the middle between Venus and Mars, lies Earth, and humanity.