# My wife is a keeper..........



## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

We met in college way back in 1979. She noticed me, took a liking to me I suppose, spoke to a couple of guys I knew, and she asked about me. Once she was given the "He's an okay guy", she called me out of the blue.

She invited me over for dinner. Her maiden name was the same as mine. And no, I'm not a maid. You know what I mean.

Anyways, we got along great and we began dating. We married in Aug. of 1981. I knew way, way back, that she was a keeper. To this very day, she likes to remind me of that fact several times thru-out the years.

Today, we has some errands to run, and one stop was @ Home Depot. When we go there, she usually goes her way and I go mine. We then find each other at some point to see if the other is ready to go.

I was looking for her and found her in the power tool dept. She was looking at battery powered drills. She then asked me if I had purchased a Christmas gift for her yet? I said no. She knows I don't shop until 2-3 days from Christmas. It's always a struggle to find something for her that I know she'd like.

She goes on and says she'd like a drill of her own. I said really? I have all kinds of power tools, to include a nice old school, 19.2 volt Ni-Cad 1/2" capacity Porter-Cable drill. We used that drill extensively when we had our 12x20x13 Tuff Shed built. We used the drill to install lofts, work benches and modifications to the shed. It did a great job and she liked it.

But, it is a bit large and heavy (for her). After all, it is about 15 yrs. old, and the newer drills are much smaller and lighter weight. And every time she needs to use it, she has to get it out, make sure the battery is fully charged, and find all of it's drills and driver bits.

The shed we had built, is more or less, her domain. I spent the $6K that it cost, to get back my garage / shop. It was money well spent. I love having my garage back, all neat, organized, and well......mine.

She wanted a drill / driver of her own to keep in the new shed. And, she did not want an expensive one. She ended up deciding on an 18v, 3/8" capacity, two-speed, Lithium-Ion Ryobi. It came with a battery and charger, so it's a kit. $59.97 was all it cost. And, I got my veteran's 10% discount off that.

So, that will be her major Christmas gift. I'm going to buy her an extra battery to have on hand as another gift. I'm so relieved that I no longer have to sweat bullets deciding on what to give her. *BIG *relief!!

Did I mention she cooks real well too! :mrgreen:


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## BackyardCowboy (Aug 27, 2014)

as long as she thinks YOU'RE a keeper. (she doesn't know you like we do)


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## yellowtr (Oct 28, 2016)

To all of us who struck GOLD the first time, congrats!

42 years and counting, and I think I have convinced her to get CC permit! As long as I can convince my best friend's wife to attend the required training. Would be nice to have a little competition at the range from time to time!

I guess it is mostly a crap shoot. Maybe I should have bought a lottery ticket the same day I proposed? I feel to this day that lucky!

Bob


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

yellowtr said:


> To all of us who struck GOLD the first time, congrats!
> 
> 42 years and counting, and I think I have convinced her to get CC permit! As long as I can convince my best friend's wife to attend the required training. Would be nice to have a little competition at the range from time to time!
> 
> ...


Years ago, we both went and got our CCW permits. At that time, her gun was a S&W model 60 snubby. I told her that she would have an easier time qualifying with a longer barrel, but she said that she wanted to qualify with the gun she carried.

Long story short, she did great. So well in fact, that the instructor made a big deal out of it. He called attention to her score to the whole class. When asked who taught her how to shoot like that, she just smiled and pointed to me.

I qualified with a Beretta 92FS and did well, but not as well as she did.

Did I mention she cooks real well too! :mrgreen:


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

*Paratrooper*;
If Jean would practice consistently, she'd outshoot me just as your wife outshoots you.
But your wife beats Jean in the tool department. Jean isn't sure of which end of the screwdriver goes where.

But she likes my cooking, and she does all of the dishes.
So I guess we'll keep each other.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> *Paratrooper*;
> If Jean would practice consistently, she'd outshoot me just as your wife outshoots you.
> But your wife beats Jean in the tool department. Jean isn't sure of which end of the screwdriver goes where.
> 
> ...


She shoots well, but when it comes to stress and pressure, she gets all flustered. Some years ago, I had her run a PD stress shooting course. For a few minutes, she did okay, until she got confused and ran the course the wrong way. From there on, it wasn't a pretty sight. :smt082


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

Your relationship with your wife sounds very similar to mine, except mine wanted her own chain saw. I bought her an electric one. 

I lucked out, this Christmas, because her 30 yo food processor cratered, so I actually knew there was something she wanted. I immediately ordered a good one before she could go buy some cheap piece of junk, and she loves it.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Well, it looks as if she has spotted another brand of drill that she feels will suit her needs better. That's okay with me.

It's a DeWalt, 20v., 1/2" chuck, and it comes with *two* batteries, charger, and a soft carry case. It's $99.99 at Lowes and Ace Hardware. As far as I'm concerned, DeWalt is a far better brand than Ryobi is.

So, tomorrow we go to have a look-see at it. Sometimes I feel like I trained her too good. :smt033

She knows her stuff.


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## bigjohn56 (Jan 26, 2013)

The Dewalt is a much better choice than the Ryobi although it tends to be on the heavier side. I use a Makita 18 volt everyday and swear by them, but Dewalt will do in a pinch! 

Merry Christmas and keep up with your PT paratrooper! :smt1099


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

Will it have the *Hammer drill* function ?


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

pic said:


> Will it have the *Hammer drill* function ?


Naw, I think it's just a drill / driver.

I'd like to get her one of the newer designed smaller / lighter drills. Some are very compact & light weight. But, she doesn't want to spend the money for one.

*Here it is: *http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=28918216


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

Looks nice,


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

New avatar,,cool


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## joepolo (Mar 28, 2016)

I do agree on the wife part it's nice to have someone to spend your life with.I'm only going on 33 years but I won't change anything. A good woman only makes you better. Hope I'm lucky enough to get another 33 years out of the deal.


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## rustygun (Apr 8, 2013)

I feel like a newlywed with only 21 years of wedded bliss . wouldn't change a thing.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

*Paratrooper*, although it's not evocative of your forum name, I like the bike.
Your previous avatar made me think "flat-liner."


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

paratrooper said:


> It's a DeWalt, 20v., 1/2" chuck, and it comes with *two* batteries, charger, and a soft carry case. It's $99.99 at Lowes and Ace Hardware. As far as I'm concerned, DeWalt is a far better brand than Ryobi is.


It's all about the batteries. I have had an 18 volt Dewalt for 16 years, that has had one battery replacement (and needs another, now). The replacement battery set (2) cost around $80, 4-5 years ago. I have had a couple of Ryobi electric tools that were OK, but can't say about their battery powered stuff.

$99 sounds like a good deal for a Dewalt with two batteries and a charger. They are good tools.


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## warcloud (Oct 24, 2013)

51 years of hunting,fishing,shooting and working side by side together. A true keeper


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> *Paratrooper*, although it's not evocative of your forum name, I like the bike.
> Your previous avatar made me think "flat-liner."


I change avatars like I do my underwear.

Every couple of months, whether I think I need to or not. :mrgreen:


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Bisley said:


> It's all about the batteries. I have had an 18 volt Dewalt for 16 years, that has had one battery replacement (and needs another, now). The replacement battery set (2) cost around $80, 4-5 years ago. I have had a couple of Ryobi electric tools that were OK, but can't say about their battery powered stuff.
> 
> $99 sounds like a good deal for a Dewalt with two batteries and a charger. They are good tools.


How very true in regards to the batteries. My drill is a 19.2V Porter-Cable with a 1/2" cap. chuck. I've had it for many years. Bought it @ Home Depot on a close-out. It came with a small circular saw as well.

It came in a very large carry box about as big as a medium-sized suitcase. It came with a charger and a total of three batteries. Since it was being closed-out, I knew there was a good chance that Home Depot would also be closing out the individual batteries that fit it.

I kept a close eye on the power tool dept., and within a couple of weeks, the batteries that fit it, as well as individually packaged battery chargers all went on sale.

I got 4 new batteries for it @ $29.00 each. (reg. price was $89.00) and an extra battery charger for $17.00 (reg. price was $57.00).

To this very day, of all the batteries I have for it, only one has gotten to the point that it won't hold a full charge for very long. I have a bag of Ni-Cad batteries that are bad, that came from other cordless power tools, such as Dewalt and Black & Decker. They all look like new, except they won't hold a charge.

I just can't get myself to turn them in for recycling.......yet. I have researched the possibility of having them refurbished, but the cost is almost as much as just buying a new battery.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Ended up getting the DeWalt drill / driver @ Home Depot. Same sale price as Ace Hardware, but I got the 10% off discount at Home Depot. 

Life is good! :mrgreen:


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## bluewave (Mar 29, 2016)

You are a lucky man, Paratrooper!......My wife doesn't like guns but agreed to tolerate my new found pistol hobby last year. By the way, I was 80 at that time. She is not mechanical minded at all. However, she is definitely a keeper! 

I made a point of meeting her when we were in High School, I was 15 and she was 14. That was 67 years ago. And next month we celebrate our 59th Wedding Anniversary. So she is definitely a keeper and I guess I am too!


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

bluewave said:


> You are a lucky man, Paratrooper!......My wife doesn't like guns but agreed to tolerate my new found pistol hobby last year. By the way, I was 80 at that time. She is not mechanical minded at all. However, she is definitely a keeper!
> 
> I made a point of meeting her when we were in High School, I was 15 and she was 14. That was 67 years ago. And next month we celebrate our 59th Wedding Anniversary. So she is definitely a keeper and I guess I am too!


An early congrats to you both on your up-coming anniversary. :smt023


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## bluewave (Mar 29, 2016)

paratrooper said:


> An early congrats to you both on your up-coming anniversary. :smt023


Thank you very much!


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