Manly Man

Saturday was spent working hard on the house although we still did not get to start the stucco. Jesse went to a meeting of the Duncan Little Theater. She wants to help with the making of the set for the next production. After her meeting we made her work on the house. By Sunday we were all sore and tired. Jesse and I each smashed a finger with the hammer – it was rough. We were glad it rained and turned cold on Sunday – since Toby has a cold, we did no work. Lizzie showed up, and we got to play with her.

I just read an article in Fox News about the "new man" that women want. They called him "ubersexual" – whatever that means. It is suppose to be a more manly man, a man who is sensitive towards women, but is very manly and makes his own choices. It is a man who is well groomed, but does not wax or do other feminine stuff. The article talked about men who were confused by what women want in a man – how women’s opinions keep changing (duh). I think women want a man who does not care what women think – someone who can make their own mind. Of course, I like it when Toby asks my opinion on something, but I am never surprised when he does not go with it. At least he listened and mulled it over, but chose what he thought was best. Usually that means we have a discussion and work through things together. Sometimes, I get to say, "I told you so" when he is wrong, but it is nice that he is strong enough to make decisions for himself (and with me).

My man keeps his fingernails short and clean, but does not blow-dry his hair. He knows what he likes in clothes, but lets me shop for him. He will make dinner when necessary or help around the house. He laughs at my jokes – no matter how silly (now that is manly). He follows along in his Bible while the preacher is teaching. He listens and prays.

Years ago while we were building our house in NM, an incident came up with my father. We needed to put the roof on the house, but the kids had a 4H rodeo to attend. My dad gave me a lecture on how much more important the roof was rather than going to a rodeo. He even said, "What do you want – a rodeo or a roof?" (and he is a manly man himself). I was torn and crazed by the time Toby got home, not knowing what we should do. Toby was very cool and calm while listening to me fret. He simply said, "Lou, we are going to the rodeo." This may not seem like much, but it was someone standing up to my dad, not even fretting about it, just making a decision and sticking to it. He had no fear of my dad (like most people). Toby knows his power and authority and uses it wisely. I can’t begin to tell you how important this incident was in my life. It was so good to know that my husband could take care of me just as well as my dad had. My dad ended up coming to the rodeo with us, and the roof was built the next week.