In last week’s editorial, Rob talked about his recent wedding — and he got another spurt of advice, and congratulations. – Editor
“I’m sorry I didn’t get this to you before the wedding, but better late than never, I guess. The following message is sponsored by my wife of 44 years. As a former manager of dozens of young software engineers, she always gave this advice to every one of them that was getting married: there are six words that you, as the husband, need to learn, as they will save your marriage many times. Those words are: ‘You’re right, I’m wrong, I’m sorry.’
“I’ve used those words many times in these 44 years. I will take the Fifth about how many times I meant them. You have to practice a bit to get the inflection to sound believable.
“Best wishes to you. I hope you have at least as many great years as we have. At my age, I’m starting to learn that even if there are some not-so-great times, if you get old enough, you’ll forget them. Ouch! That last sentence got me smacked.” – Rob Cotton
“Congratulations on your marriage! Two words that you need to learn for a successful marriage: “I’m sorry”. I’m kidding … kinda. Seriously, after being married for 43 years, I’ve found the most important brick in the foundation of marriage is communication. Listen more than you speak.” – Don Pulliam
“Ah, yes, Rob – marriage – a very expensive way of getting your laundry done for free. (46 years this year) Congratulations.” – Mike Potts
“I just wanted to give my blessing and best wishes to the both of you. May it be a long ever-lasting union full of joy, and happiness that will follow you both for the rest of your lives, and may your home be filled with blessings and good cheers. Congratulations.” – P. Walpole
“Yes, it does look like your grin has gotten a bit wider and brighter. Good for you!” –
R.L. Hoyle
“Wedding advice from my father, who was lucky enough to be married to the same woman for 53 years. He told me, ‘Always get in the last word, and it should be Yes, Dear.’” – Donn Mason
“Being married doubles your joy, and halves your sorrow!” – Peter Burrows
“I apologize, but I missed the issue where you asked for marriage advice, but it put me in mind of a story told to me by a friend, mentor and former employer. Elmo, was 88 years old when he passed away a few years ago, and he’d been married 4 times in his life (widowed twice and divorced once). One day we were discussing our wives and associated problems, when with a thoughtful sigh and a serious look he proclaimed, ‘Well, there are two strategies to arguing with a woman.’
“Being 39 years younger, I really perked up. Wow! I was about to benefit from his many years of wisdom and experience. So, I sat up straight in my chair, ready to take in all the details of the ‘two strategies to arguing with a woman’ when he said flatly, ‘neither one of them work.’ Mazel tov.” – Gene Perham
“A toast to the two of you: May God bless you. May you always have all that you need. May the road you choose be smooth and your burdens lightened by your faith in Jesus Christ. And may the joys of your love for one another be everlasting.” – Dave Anderson
And, with the wedding come some other changes – like the upcoming shop move. – Editor
“I know I am a bit late on this, but my shop is 12’ x 22’ and I have a lot of stuff (tools) laid out in a pretty efficient manner. I have 8 feet, plus, to the left of the radial arm saw, the miter saw fence is on the same plane as the radial arm saw fence, and their beds are the same height. The drill press table gives me support to the right of both saws. I also designed an outteed table that houses my 12” planer. It is pretty heavy and I got tired (too old?) of picking it up and putting it on my workbench, so with some 80-20 and a trailer jack, I have made it so it can be raised to table saw height using a cordless drill.” – Al Micucci
“About the Goldilocks workshop: After we bought our new home in Raleigh, I designed a workshop that’s about 2-300 square feet. The pix I see of the 1, 000- to 2,000-square feet workshops are way beyond my means, and they never seem to have a scrap of chips or sawdust on the floor, walls or tools. Maybe I can get our housecleaning girls to take a shot at my workshop. Ah, maybe not.
“Enjoy! It looks like there are many nice designs floating around. Pick the one your wife is willing to support you in creating.” – Alan Falk
