housewifely virtues

I grew up with handy parents, and I learned some things from them - cooking, chopping wood, making do, but there were still things I missed out on. Even though my step-mother is a talented woodworker, I never learned. Even though she does plumbing repair, I didn't pay attention when I could have. My father hunted, but I wasn't interested when he might have taken me and taught me to be a better shot than I am. My grandmother and aunt were remarkably talented at knitting, sewing and crocheting - I've had to painfully learn those skills over myself without them. Can I just say how badly I'd like…
I have to say, learning to replace a zipper now and again has extended the life of a number of favorite items of clothing. It is a very simple thing, but a bit of a pain, and useful to see how to do it. The Matron of Husbandry at Trapper Creek has kindly provided a great post and a great commentary on how odd bits of handiwork get done in any relationship: Dear, dear Hangdog really appreciates what he calls Woman Craft, and all things being equal (wink, wink); he feels the same about guys and expects them to know their Man Craft. (His terms, not mine.) So somewhere in this past 32 years…