his favorite pants needed patching. he was having trouble & had succumb to cursing. a brilliant idea evolved: i sew the patches in exchange for him doing the dishes, cleaning the kitchen, tidying the main room and sprucing up the bathroom by morning. he totally went for it (raw end of the stick). i sat by the fire, hand sewing, drinking tea, taking my time... sometimes it really does pay to be the craftier one of the pair. negotiations like this need to be worked into our life more often. (insert evil laugh)

(he might be surprised to find holes in all his jeans when he returns) :)