The Rural Voice, 1982-09, Page 43GISELE IRELAND
The Shop Buddies
Equal rights take a real nosedive around here on rainy days.
The master plan is for me to put new knees into jeans and wrestle
the iron -over clothing that has not lived up to the perma press
promise. After that I am to delve into the paper work and books
that have been piling up since the busy
season. The HE'S around here are to fix
everything that is wired together, baler
twined semi -permanently and generally
apply hammer and nails to things that are
just hanging there. I manage to do my
part, but the males invariably end up
having a rain party.
Anyone who has a limping piece of
equipment can come to this party, as long
as he can convince his wife that the loose
nuts or broken welding are more impor-
tant to the business than the jobs she has
lined up. There are a lot more ladies besides myself who are
shamelessly hoodwinked. By late afternoon there are usually six
or seven beer drinking buddies in the shop discussing the farming
life in general. The machines that come with them are always
SHE'S, mainly because they are giving trouble and one man
actually informed the group his baler was just like a woman,
perfectly all right one day and then for no good reason not worth
a bleep the next day. He challenged the men to disagree with this
profound chauvinistic statement and got lots of elbows lifted with
brown bottles to salute this philosophy.
I sometimes get the urge to take the broom out there by late
afternoon and clean house. To do this, would be to let women
down because then they could claim their baler theory correct. 11
doesn't pay to get mad, just get even. I figure they'll get theirs
when the time for home and chores comes around and they have
to explain to wifey where they were and what they did and where
is the fixed machined. Stories vary but the most common excuse
is that the part was out of stock until the sun shines again.
They don't fool their wives too much because if the cows get
out, or long lost relatives appear at the doorstep or the toilet
floods, they know where to call. I get great satisfaction from the
look on their faces when I go out and inform one or the other his
wife is on the phone. You can just see the brain clogs churning
before he gets to the phone and tries to explain to the wife at the
other end the general air of hilarity around him. We don't get too
disturbed with them, because we all know little boys have to play
in the sandbox once in a while to maintain their equilibrium. It's
clouding over pretty well tonight, so guess what's going to
happen here to -morrow?
WARD & UPTIGROVE
Chartered Accountants
Listowel 291-3040
Mitchell 348-8412
R.B. Karcher, C.A.
C.D. Newell, C.A.
I.W. Smith, C.A.
R.E. Uptigrove, C.A.
Supervisors
C.W. Grouse, C.A.
R.H. Loree, C.A.
MCDONALD
BUILDiALL
ASSOCIATE STORE
BRUSSELS
YOUR COMPLETE
FARM BUILDING
AND HOMEOWNER
CENTRE
Featuring:
• CARPET
• HARD SURFACE
• KITCHEN CUPBOARDS
• HARDWARE
• PLUMBING
• ELECTRICAL
• LUMBER
• PANELLING
WHERE
AVAIEABI F
14112
MONALD
BUILQALL
ASSOCIATE STORE
BRUSSELS
887-6277
Hours
Mon. - Fri. 7:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Sat. 9 - 3 p.m.
THE RURAL VOICE/SEPTEMBER 1982 PG. 43