In recent months, and especially with spring coming, it seems that the latest must-have guy toy is the pressure washer, and today I joined the crowd – 6 HP Honda engine, 3,000 PSI, special this, extra that – woo hoo! Now I can’t wait to spray something and all the mud on the truck from our dirt road will be a good place to start. Tomorrow.... God willing.... If it doesn’t rain.... And if the creek don’t rise.
Anyway that got me to thinking about my ever growing collection of tools – air-powered, gas-powered, electric-powered, man-powered – got ‘em all. I do use them – and to good effect if I do say so myself – but truth be known I use the tools because I’ve got them; I don’t get the tools because I need them. It’s a subtle difference, but it explains why my long-suffering wife thinks that my hobby is wood-working and other handy-man type activities, when my real hobby is collecting wood-working and other handy-man type tools. But it makes her happy to think I’m enjoying all this woodworking and stuff, and I get to keep buying tools. A symbiotic relationship, I think you call it.
Women aren’t immune either though. Let’s talk about cookbooks. My wife and a few of her friends could easily fill the municipal library in any small Canadian town with the extra cook books lining their shelves (space that could otherwise be put to good use for auto mechanics guides or woodworking how-to books). These cookbooks were probably purchased for one specific recipe (Mmmmmm, doesn’t that sound good dear? I think I’ll buy the book.) which may or may not have ever been prepared, and which may or may not have actually been any good. Regardless, there are now dozens of them lying around when everyone knows one good cookbook is all you should need. That’s all my dear old gran had, and as I recall she could whip up a pretty good pot roast on a Sunday. So I figure all those extra cookbooks are just the female equivalent of my power tools, but as long as she keeps putting those great meals in front of me I’m not going to ask too many questions about that.
That's all for now, I have to go and assemble my pressure washer.
