The last laugh

[Steve G]

When I think of real men it's the Trappers/mountain men of the early 1800's. Alone in the wilderness to face the mountain lions, grizzly bears, and native americans that don't want you there. Thier protection was a flintlock muzzleloader, maybe a flintlock pistol, and a big knife or hatchet. If you can't kill it after two shots, better be good with a blade. I'd be dead within the first week!

[Kevin Mienke]

Hey Steve,

Good to hear from you.

"Jeremiah Johnson" is a favorite movie of mine. We had it in the video cabinet at the fire station. I'd bet we watched it 20 times at Station 6 in the five years I was assigned there. It's no mystery why men love to watch stories like that...we need to feed a passion.

I think there might be an upcoming Long View article about this very thing.

I'm glad so many folks are enjoying this thread.

I did go fishing last night. The ice was 5 -8 inches and the bluegill and crappie are biting around the flooded timber. I slept well, no freight trains.


MaineSS,
Only giving it a little thought, the fall of the Romans is very similar. The one big difference I can see is that the young men serving in our Armed Forces are a cut above the Roman soldier. Otherwise the decline is eerily similar.

[Steve G]

Kevin, I have "Jerimiah Johnson" and "The Mountain Men" with Charleton Heston on dvd. You are more than welcome to borrow those, maybe during the next blizzard!

[Gordon Maney]

Will,

Dogs are easier to train than wives. Adjusting a carb goes hand in hand with reading the manual.

About #40, it is imperative that you do not waiver in your answers. For instance, when she asks you "Did you think that girl was pretty?, you must answer no and stick with it. She will press you and you must be prepared.

It will go like this if you are not prepared:

Did you think that girl was pretty?

No.

Oh come on, I know you like brunettes.

I like brunettes because you are a brunette.

So you admit you like brunettes?

You have now lost.

Stick with a resolute NO and you will be fine.

I believe a man cannot find a woman appealing and attractive if he does not find women appealing and attractive. In this context I am not meaning all women, just those women who have it, whatever it may be for that man. It is all a matter of individual preferences.

One's responses to others cannot be switched off without switching off the entire process. I believe this is not gender exclusive, either. It goes both ways.

[Kevin Mienke]

I believe a man cannot find a woman appealing and attractive if he does not find women appealing and attractive. In this context I am not meaning all women, just those women who have it, whatever it may be for that man. It is all a matter of individual preferences.

One's responses to others cannot be switched off without switching off the entire process. I believe this is not gender exclusive, either. It goes both ways.

You know it, I know it, and she knows it. Still it is a dangerous question to answer. There is no effective deception happening when I answer with a no. Still it somehow seems like the right answer for the happiest of endings.

[Kevin Mienke]

I feel as though I have baited a trap and stuck my own foot in it. Should a man, an upstanding man, always be 100% honest with his woman?

I believe in serious matters he should. What is a serious matter?

Does the upstanding man choose honesty or happy endings in less serious matters?

It would seem wrong ( or something) to say "Yes, I like that brunette." When at the heart of the matter, the fact remains that I like MY brunette.

[Kevin Mienke]

Excuse me while I work through this.

The conversation should go like this:

Did you think that girl was pretty?

Yes, you know very well that I like shapely attractive brunettes. That is why I chose you.

Honesty AND happy ending. ????

[MasterYota]

I feel as though I have baited a trap and stuck my own foot in it. Should a man, an upstanding man, always be 100% honest with his woman?

I believe in serious matters he should. What is a serious matter?

Does the upstanding man choose honesty or happy endings in less serious matters?

It would seem wrong ( or something) to say "Yes, I like that brunette." When at the heart of the matter, the fact remains that I like MY brunette.

The trapping is in the language, not the intent. I'm sure you don't like that brunette - as you would need to know her to like her. Getting to know her could cause serious detriment to your current health! It may be safer to tell the wife that while the brunette is not ugly, she isn't as aluring and captivating as your wife is.

Or just wear sunglasses and pretend to have not seen anything.

As for being serious and honest, there is an appropriate saying for that: "the truth hurts". The truth should travel with both tact, and diplomacy. There are also some things that are just better left unsaid, as once it is spoken, it can't be un-spoken.

[Kevin Mienke]

The truth should travel with both tact, and diplomacy.

I like that.

[Gordon Maney]

When regarding the hypothetical woman, she is being regarded in appearance only. The charm and appeal we find in our woman results from a constellation of points defining a unique pattern. Appearance is only one of those many points. She and her being are the combination to a lock, figuratively speaking.

Years ago i was a jealous person. I am no longer. We can own no one.

Perhaps one's mate can value the choice and commitment of their other, and find affirmation in that commitment reaching miles beyond any woman noticed. Find the affirmation in someone looking into the distance and yet staying home.

[Kevin Mienke]

Well said. I have stayed home since I first unscrambled the combination.

[Chewie]

Real men know what a rick is.

I always thought that a real man was a combination of Louis Lamour, John Wayne, and my Grampa.
My grampa passed away in March, and I still miss him. He never bought what he could build, and he could fix anything. He treat my gramma like gold (he built her a house) and never let me get away with half measures. He was a carpenter by trade, a sailor at heart, and taught me to stand up for what I believe in.
He also taught me how to do Kevin's list, all except cook and shoot. I never did get north without a compass, though.

[Ron in Indiana]

If a man does something and there is no woman there to see it, is he still WRONG? 99.9% of the women I've posed this question to reply YES.

What's the difference between arguing with a woman and playing the lottery?


You've got a chance of winning the lottery.



What's the difference between a barking dog at your backdoor and a nagging woman at your front door?


If you let the dog in he quits barking.


I'll step over here in the corner now because my wife said so. LOL

[Kevin Mienke]

There may be many definitions of what a real man is, but there is at least one constant. A real man must have a vision.

A genuine man will always have an ongoing connection to his visions. It’s a part of him every day. He knows what he wants in his future and visualizes it.

Staying connected to it is the hard part. The pursuit of a vision is an endless battle and the rewards are not always what we expect. Sometimes we will fail. But, regardless of the end result, a man must show bravery, confidence, courage, patience, optimism, and intelligence during the battle.


Every day we are confronted with the challenges of the battle. The meat of this thread addresses many of them. In the end, a real man is one who has the vision and is able to meet the challenges of attaining it and keeping it. He must do this in an honest and graceful manner.

If I tried to summarize the gist of what I believe it would go something like this….

A man must have self-worth. In order to gain self-worth a man must be able to go beyond the ordinary. To go beyond the ordinary, a man must arm himself with skills and tools. He must see a future and find the means, within himself, to secure it.

Of all the visions I ever had, none is more prominent than the future I saw with my wife. If we could remember the visions we had of our future when we were young, almost everybody would have included a beautiful woman in those visions. My wife is the living, breathing element in my visions for the future. She was present in those visions when I was 24 and she is in those visions now. While I may like the way Marisa Tomei looks, there are no visions of her in my future. My wife alone has the combination I was looking for. It is because of my vision of a future with her that I have armed myself for the challenges I will meet.

As simple as it may sound, a good truck is a valuable tool in this. It must be brawny and ready to engage. In fact, a whole garage full of good tools is necessary. I don’t want sub-standard when I am guarding my dreams and visions. In the upper Midwest, I don’t want a minivan, it can do nothing for me in going beyond the ordinary.

It is a matter of importance that I know how to use my hands and my back. But of utmost importance, I must know how to use my brain and employ it constantly. My dreams and visions are counting on it.

[Chewie]

My grampa told me once that if I was going to drive trucks, then I had a moral obligation to stock the truck with tools that I could use to help people with. Grampa was big on helping. (His thought was that if I was helping someone, I wouldn't be whining about my troubles.) So I have a few log chains back there, a shovel, an old stocked lunch bucket, a come-along, baling wire and most of the handtools you need to remove and replace something to get a vehicle back on the road. I get a lot of opportunities driving from Ollie to Waterloo and back everyday.

The most memorable was a lady in a minivan with three screaming kids. It was a simple fix, just a dragging tailpipe, but she was utterly defeated on the side of the road. Those kids were jumping and screaming; she was near to tears. So I tied up the pipe and she was on her way. That was the day I left my toolbox on the side of the road, too, which is probably why I remember it so well. Never got that box back, either.

Most of the time it's helping people get out of the ditches they've slid into in the winter.

I used to carry chain saws with me, too, but that wierded people out a little...