The Rural Voice, 1983-06, Page 700
1
GISELE IRELAND
Close encounters
There is a general misconception
floating around about the meanings of
the words stubborn and determined. If a
woman doesn't agree with a certain
action or decision, she is called stub-
born. If a man does the same, he is
classed as determined. I think that
women blessed with the emotion of
intuition are very logical and there is a
good reason for feeling a certain way
about things. Men tend to argue this
point. It has been said that an argument
yields no winners. I disagree with this.
The whole point of an argument is one
person pointing out the error of the other
person's ways. How else would men
realize the direction they had to go if
women didn't paint the road signs for
them?
I watched a relatively new wife handle
her husband after what could be termed a
difference of opinion. She did a fantastic
job. They both wcrk full time and have a
sheep farm. When lambing season
started they both put in a lot of extra
hours in the barn and the meals were
thrown together. The wife got home early
from work on this particular day and
cooked a full course roast beef dinner
with fudge frosted chocolate cake. She
met him at the door with a smile and from
the look of him realized he hadn't smiled
all day. He munched his way through the
feast with nary a comment. When the last
forkful was finished he requested her
presence in the barn immediately. She
followed him out and attempted to
lighten his mood with a little humour. He
handed her the broom and told her to
sweep the passages. She started to do
just that when he grumped his way
through the passage and told her, "If
that's how you're going to clean the
passages, you might as well go to the
house."
She hadn't even started the passage he
was grumping about so she dropped the
broom and went to the house I admire
her control because my first reaction
would have been to try and put it in his
ear.
When he came to the house later he
noticed that the dishes were done and
that the temperature in the teepee for the
rest of the night rivalled that of the
Siberian Ice Fields.
The next day he phoned her at work
and invited her for lunch. By chance we
happened to meet at the restaurant and
made it a foursome. You didn't have to be
too bright to notice that the handsome
prince was a loathsome toad with big
warts. He treated her like the high school
cheerleader he'd been trying to make out
with for ages all through lunch. She just
sat back and accepted all the complaints
and attention like they were her due.
After she explained the situation I figured
nothing was too good for her and
admired his way of apologizing.
This method would not likely work very
well for me because I can't keep quiet
long enough to give anyone the silent
treatment. I would most likely have
blown it in the barn with the broom.
My arguments are usually very spon-
taneous, and since I have an explosive
fuse and Super Wrench hates dissension,
very short. My spouse has the ability to
make me feel that the argument was my
fault in the first place and that I should be
ashamed of myself. He saunters across
the yard whistling a merry tune before I
realize that he's done it again. It leaves
me feeling frustrated and with the urge to
take tweezers to his chest hair.
I know that all my reasons were logical
and that he was the one that had made
the blunder. Perhaps someday I will
come across a foolproof method of
winning a difference of opinion and
having Super Wrench lavish gifts and
attention my direction when he is
apologizing. In the meantime, he has just
parked three pieces of equipment on
my newly raked lawn and I'd better rush
right out and tell him exactly where he
can park the stuff.
Gisele Ireland is a pork producer from
Bruce county and has a regular column in
The Rural Voice.
Tracy Priebe, 11
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THE RURAL VOICE, JUNE 1983 PG
69