P.S.

After I published my last post I had a sudden flash of memory.

I need to correct what I said about men working in community. It has been my experience that sometimes, not often and certainly not for general broadcast, the men I have known have tackled a job in the garage that is just too big for them alone. It is not easy for a man to cry "uncle" or ask for help, so they can get into water way over their heads without realizing it.

Take for instance, the day my ex-husband was sure he could fix something to do with the engine of MY car - the station wagon, the family mobile, the grocery hauler, the kids' taxi - not his cute little sports car. I don't remember now what the exact problem was, but I do remember, as if it were yesterday, the distress call eminating from the driveway.

"Hey, Mary,"he called. "I need you to call Tom for some help." I couldn't imagine what he needed help with so I went to take a look. This is no lie. My I-don't-need-to-read-the-instructions Mr. Fix It was actually standing inside the car where the engine was supposed to be. The engine in question was in pieces on the ground in front of the car. This was neither a good, nor pretty site.

I don't recall how it happened, but I know Tom was at least able to get the car back together long enough to make it to the Shell station where it should have gone in the first place. I don't know how the conversation went between Tom and Jim, it could have been a few grunts, or a manly struggle over the socket wrench. All I cared about was progress was being made.

I could be wrong, but had the situation been reversed and taken place in the kitchen, I'm pretty sure I would have called in the calvary way before the refrigerator was unusable. Maybe not, I've been known to be a little bit stubborn too. Stubborness, now there's a personality trait that is gender-free.

me