Recently in Signs a Man Really Loves You Category

If you receive a random IM asking this:

[14:10] MO: what size ring do you wear?

and after you respond the conversation goes like this:

[14:11] MO: carry on
[14:11] Me: whywhywhywhywhy....
[14:11] Me: ?????
[14:12] MO: because a pistol should not be your only birthday present and I found something badass

and then it turns out he knows you well enough to realize that you would agree that this is totally badass and he can't actually wait til your birthday so you get to wear it right away....

[Go Swarovski!]

Well! Then you know your man really loves you.

Of course, the fact that you already have a new pistol waiting for you is the real tip-off.... The wearable bling is the icing on the cake ;-)

[Meet Tim Gunn. Yes, I've seen it. I've even fondled it. But no shooting til The Official Day....]

I think forty-one is going to be a seriously pretty shiny year!

If your man regularly prepares food for you that he either cannot or would not eat, you know he really loves you!

Case in point: In the fridge right now we have this...

Real-live home-made dill pickles! See the dill? See it? How cool is that?!

This windfall (for me--the MO wouldn't eat a pickle if you paid him) comes courtesy of a new cookbook, Charcuterie, which, while mainly focused on meat (and within that category, mainly The Pig), happens to include a section on pickling veggies. Complete with a recipe for pickling spices. And that is some good-smelling stuff, let me tell you.

He's also trying green beans, with a "natural pickle" instead of a dill. They're pretty too (and easier to photograph ;-)

Here's the book:

[Update: Well, okay, that may or may not be the book. If that is not the book, try this.]

[Note: Signs 8 - 10 are on Vox.]

If your man takes the time to show you a picture of Ernest Hemingway that happens to be in an article in the gun magazine that he's reading, just because he knows you're reading a biography of Hemingway, then he really loves you.

If your man takes the time to nicely point out how you might better analyze your Fantasy Baseball team, even though he's competing against you in the same league, he really loves you.

Hellooooo middle relievers..... BatGrrl is movin' on up!

(Can't really get much lower. Seems my fantasy sports successes are all about beginner's luck.)

If your man cooks, you are a lucky woman. If he cooks so well that your co-workers look forward to leftovers, you understand how lucky I am. The MO cooks almost every night, and tonight he put together a tremendously savoury plate of basalmic onion, steamed broccoli and sauteed chicken breast (all enhanced with the gorgeous juices from the onion dish) that hit the spot with extreme precision. If your man makes dinner for you on a regular basis, he really loves you, mark my words.

When your man says he has a present for you, for no reason whatsoever, that's a good sign. When said present is a smallish light box, even better. And when said box contains an extra magazine for Flora, your Browning Buckmark .22 pistol, you know he really loves you.

According to my Urchin stats, lots of people want to know how tell if a man really loves you. Always glad to help out, I think I'll make this a regular series. For the record,

• #1 is here


• #2 is here

If you're at a gourmet grocery store with your man, scoping out the Big Beer selection (meaning the ones in the big bottles, although there will probably have to be a "big" selection overall to offer much choice here), and he points out a delicious porter that he thinks you might like, you know he loves you. (If he doesn't know what kind of beer you like, he's soooo not serious. Dump him now. Conversely, if you don't know what kind of beer you like, educate yourself. There is no reason whatsoever to drink Bud Light or its equivalent unless you're at a ball game and that's all they serve, and even then you might consider a Coke instead.)

But the real test is this: Suppose he has a really tough day and he succumbs to the call of St. Pete and drinks your beer. I know, this is a terrible thing. But he has a chance to redeem himself. If he stops at the gourmet grocery the next day after work and buys you another delicious porter, he's a keeper.

when he lets you sniffle and boohoo all over his undershirt and he doesn't mind. Thank you, MO. I'll do laundry pronto ;-)