11 Comments

1. I so love B P and the A and all it’s readers!

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2. My doctor told me, while he was sewing up my head, that he had learned to sew while in Home Ec class in school. He is no sissy either. He and his wife had 10 children but one died. I guess he has to help with housework. The other doctor in his practice has 10 kids also, I think. Can you imagine that office Christmas Party?
   My doctor is a devout Christian and often prays with his patients in the exam rooms. You don’t see that much any more.

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3. Mother taught me to sew with a needle and thread, cook, iron, wash clothes. And maybe some other things normally thought of as something a woman does. She thought a man should be able to do things like this for himself in case of his wife being sick or some other reason, she didn’t think you had to be as good as a women but know enough to get by. I have known men that were helpless when it came to doing things like this for themselves. They couldn’t boil water. By the way, at Michelin Tire I worked on a job for a while that involved using a sewing machine, my son, along with some other teenage boys worked on this job too and he can sew basic seems and the like as well as anyone. This was a job for repairing something used in their manufacturing process of making tires.

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4. I tried to crochet but just never got the hang of it!

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5. I used to be a service tech for Montgomery. We had to be able to cook, use a sewing machine and sort laundry so we talk intelligently to the customers. I went out on a central air, and explained what the part was and how much it cost. I finished the job and went on. About a year later she had a problem with her fridge and the sent somebody else. She turned her dog loose on him. (This was back in the early 60’s) She told the Service Mgr. that I was the first service man who took time to show the the defective part and explain the situation. She said that she didn’t have any idea what I was talking about, but I didn’t talk down to her and act like she was too stupid to understand. She told the Service Manager to never send anyone else. From then on I took a few extra minutes to ask the house wife if she had any questions. I only had one callback in all the years I worked for them and it was due to a faulty installation and was not charged to me. Good lesson.

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6. I’m all thumbs but I really really want to crochet, sew…..

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7. I tried my hand at crocheting one time. It didn’t work out. Maybe I should have tried both hands.

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8. I am all for folks being independent enough to not follow the crowd. I don’t see a big difference between a guy crocheting and a guy whittling unless maybe it be that crocheting is making something and whittling is often about making shavings. Either way it seems to be mostly about occupying the hands with an activity that does not require a lot of concentration. That’s why I like solitary walks. I have to pay some attention but I have mind room to let my thoughts wander.

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9. My husbands step mother taught all 4 of her step sons to sew and use a sewing machone. I think it was more aboutso she didn’t have to, but my husband could sew as well as I could

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10. Tipper,
    Your post today brought Roosevelt “‘Rosey” Grier, NFL player, to my mind.
    Grier is known for his serious pursuit of hobbies not traditionally associated with men. He has authored several books, including Rosey Grier’s Needlepoint for Men in 1973. From memory, I believe Rosey is the one that wrestled the weapon, a Iver Johnson 22 revolver, away from Sirhan Sirhan when RFK was assassinated.
    I had a friend who stood 6’8″ and was a giant of a man whose hobby was quilting.

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11. My Grandpa Byers on my corn shelling lesson…..”He tuk to it to beat the band”.

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