Karen Wils photo Yooper guys: Larry, Curly and Moe — no it is my dad, my brother, and Joe, fixing a tractor circa 1982.

ESCANABA — Yooper men are a wonderful sort.

Strong, brave, intelligent, burly and handsome, they’re the descendants of timbermen, miners, sailors and pioneers that plowed the soil.

Educated and athletic with an undying love for the outdoors and even a stronger love for his family, Yooper guys are swell.

But occasionally, there are a few teeny-tiny flaws.

Growing up with four brothers and living with a husband and a son, I’ve made several observations over the years.

Here is just what I have noticed about my Yooper guys… maybe yours will fall into some of these categories too?

— It is no secret — males cannot smell as well as females. Just have a pet that has had an accident or a baby that needs a changing… Men are very slow to smell that. And there is a good reason for it. They are afraid they may have to clean something or somebody up.

— While we are on the subject of senses, Yooper guys have a selective hearing range. They cannot hear a toddler asking for a drink of water at midnight or the cat getting into butter on the cupboard but, they can hear a fish jump out on the lake a quarter a mile away.

— Color coordinating things is also a little bit beyond a man’s capabilities. When my children were young and my husband was babysitting for the day, I’d lay out nice, matching sets of clothes for them in the morning. Sometimes my son would have his clothes soiled by noon. My husband would go into the dresser and put a change of clothes on Robert. Clashing colors, prints, plaids and polk-a-dots, I’d come home and Robert looked like a baby clown.

— This is embarrassing but true, men can’t tell when their underwear are worn out. The elastic waist band can be completely shot, the color faded and guys will keep on wearing them until their mom or wife throws them away.

— Yooper guys can never find anything in the refrigerator even if you tell what shelf it’s on and what color Tupperware it’s in. And don’t ask them to find a pen in your purse. It would be quicker if you and got it yourself. They can find a ten point buck in the wilderness, but they can’t find the catsup in the fridge.

— The fellas like a good hot cup of coffee in the morning as much as us women. My husband makes a great robust pot of coffee especially perked on the stove at camp. Here’s the problem: men can hit a grouse or a turkey many yards away, even if it’s camouflaged by ferns, weeds and trees but they can’t hit the garbage can with the wet coffee grounds standing still in the corner.

— I’ve taught my children to follow directions. My beagles will follow my directions most of the time, but when we are traveling my husband argues with the GPS about what way to go.

Now that I have had my say, let me tell you some of the wonderful things about Yooper menfolk. They are responsible, hardworking, loyal determined and resourceful.

They can fix a tractor, sharpen a chain saw, build an outhouse, program a computer, wire a house, operate the TV remote controls and rock a fussing baby to sleep.

Love you guys!

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Karen (Rose) Wils is a lifelong north Escanaba resident. Her folksy columns appear weekly in Lifestyles.