Tea Cups and Doilies

I've managed to get about 4 more lines down on paper today. And looked up manufacturer names of vintage tea cups. My main character has decided she likes the Japanese styles the best. So do I. I still pine away for that one cupboard in my kitchen that has glass doors that will be home to my teapots and tea cups. A girl's gotta have something pretty.

What is it about candles, tea cups, vintage handkerchiefs, lace tablecloths, claw-footed tubs...? And why are guys (most guys) so against pretty, clean, feminine things? They are such dirty, smelly, cloddy beings. Always stomping around the house. Always stinking things up. I mean, they can't even say the word "doily" without sounding like a complete Neanderthal.

Mom, Sis and I have often discussed having a little getaway cottage that us females could escape too. Sadly, I fear I would end up living there, in our little secret Utopia, never, ever, ever wanting to return. Clean wooden floors. No grungy sofa arms. No pieces of popcorn all over the floor near their favorite chair. No plates with dried, hardened egg left on them. No whiskers in the sink. There would be toilet paper always on the roll. The cupboard doors would all be shut. The cushions and throw pillows on the furniture would always be neat and tidy. Closet doors would be shut. No dirty boxers would lay within millimeters of the dirty clothes basket.

I just got a little worked up. That's all. I don't think there is a female on this earth that doesn't feel the same way. Men are just men. Some of them are smart, or talented, or sweet, or funny.... But they are still men. And it just goes with the territory of being a man, that they do the everything (and more) on the list noted above.

And, what's sadder, is that guys aren't willing to change, or better themselves to make anyone happy. They would prefer to fight you on it, making it sound as though we are the bad guys because we nag, because we're never happy. Well, of course we're not happy, when you accuse us of bickering with you constantly just to get our way. If men could simply take a calm, common sense moment, they would probably all agree that "Hey, it would make life easier if I got my boxers in the basket. And it would make my life better if my spouse were happy. What should I do to make her happy? Should I walk around the house, especially the kitchen, in my underwear? Should I use the last of the toilet paper - every time and then not replace it with a new roll? Maybe I should fry an egg, splatter oil all over the stove top and tea pot, then when I eat the egg, let the yolk smear all over the plate and fork, then let it sit and glue themselves together."

Hint: the answer is 'No'. Don't do that. When it comes to doing almost anything in the house, you should really just stop for a split second and think: Is there a way to do this better? Can I do something different to make my life easier?

Doubt it. But there's no harm in trying.