dennis: UPDATE ON MY MANY DUTIES IN SERVING WOMEN

i haven’t been writing much lately given other commitments on the home front, plus a lot of activity at work and at the Women’s Center. Nancy has been quite busy of late, which naturally keeps me busy as well. With all Her out-of-town business travel, i’ve been very busy just packing and unpacking Her bags.

At the same time My Mother-in-law Sue has been hosting a number of small parties and get-togethers with Her many friends. Serving Her guests is very enjoyable for me, since I love being of service to Women; but it, too, makes major demands on my limited time. Having to serve doesn’t relieve me of my normal housekeeping chores, of course, so once Sue retires to Her quarters (we have a Mother-in-law suite), i get busy cleaning. (There is a house rule that everything has to be cleaned up before i go to bed.)

And then there is household shopping. Thankfully we have 24-hour stores nearby. More than once I’ve had to do the weekly grocery shopping—with permission, of course—at 2:00 a.m. There seem to have been a lot of late nights.

As for my boss, Carol, whom one of the commenters has asked about, lots has been happening on that front, too. In fact, i have just completed some business travel with Carol and am exhausted—with Her it’s an 18-hour day every day. She’s also been active within the company, formulating new interview, hiring, and promotion rules. Carol wants the company to put on a “feminine face” and is making sure we actively recruit and promote Women. We now have an unwritten 2/3 rule that states that, for every man we interview, we must interview two Women. We want to hire Women with technical skills and are offering an attractive compensation package to get them.

When promoting, we have to interview using the 2/3 rule and have to justify not promoting a Female candidate. Carol also instituted a mentoring program for Women within the company intended to give Them management exposure that will help Them along their career paths. We’re getting some wonderfully assertive Women at all levels, Women who want to make a difference. Male employees are more and more accepting these developments and most are fully cooperative; and those who aren’t are getting counseling to help change their ways.

What else? Well, i borrowed tuition money from Sue and am attending the “Gracious Living” class at the Women’s Center. i was offered a reduced tuition rate since i’m acting as a mentor to the other men in the class, but I declined the offer. As a progressive gentlemen, i feel it’s both a privilege and a responsibility to support the Center.

The course covers a number of topics intended to take male homemakers to the next level in their housekeeping and service skills. A wide variety of topics are offered to this end: window coverings and tapestries; flatware, china, and linens; flower arranging, arts and crafts decorating; artificial flowers, potpourri, and fragrances; personal service, and the boudoir.

As with all courses at the Center, there’s a practicum involved. men have some leeway in suggesting a decorating, arts and crafts, or service project at home, along with another service project for a host Woman. The men may suggest, but a group of Women at the Center ultimately decides. So far this class is going very well. All the men are at least part-time housekeepers and are anxious to enhance their domestic skills. It’s not just about pleasing one’s Wife but about the personal satisfaction that comes from being able to competently do more.

Tomorrow at the office we are having “administrative professionals” day, formerly known as “secretaries day.” At our company our administrative professionals include a large minority of males who have been hired into secretarial and clerical roles. Like their Female counterparts, the men will receive a flower arrangement and gift certificate. We expect that our administrative staff will have a male majority next year.

Finally, Nancy and i conducted an informal workshop at our home this week for three Women who are interested in exploring the FLR lifestyle. i always participate by serving the Women, demonstrating my obedience to Nancy, and attesting to my satisfaction to the lifestyle She and i share. Plenty of great conversation and many experiences were shared. These Women were looking for tips on how to proceed in taking control of their marriages. Nancy knows the men in question here and doesn’t feel the Women will have any trouble; the men She feels will be receptive to taking orders and having the resulting tranquility in their marriages. The Women will likely be busy this coming week, consolidating control of their finances, making some rules, and assigning some chores. Needless to say, the men will be kept busy, too!

—d