Ralph Higgins

Ralph Higgins
color pencil sketch by Gayle Higgins

Quotes I Like


“Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

-Albert Einstein

StatCounter

Friday, March 2, 2012

“Good morning, Sunshine!”

Today began on a different note.  Gayle normally doesn’t speak in the morning until close to noon. I’m ready to talk, but she’s not even ready to listen. It’s at the point where we just grunt at each other as we shuffle around the house. But today was different.

Gayle not only talked, but she made pancakes this morning. That’s becoming almost a weekly event around here lately, ever since she discovered pancake batter as an art form. 

Actually, this is the only time we eat breakfast together.  She’s afraid of my omelets. The closest she gets to my creative concoctions is to stand back from the mixture and check to see if anything is moving in it. I use omelets to get rid of leftovers sitting in the refrigerator and have found that, when in doubt, hot sauce can cover indiscretions very effectively. It also kills alien life forms.


I’m currently working on two books and was on the computer even before taking a shower this morning. Gayle asked if I wanted pancakes, which sounded good to me, so the next thing I remember is sitting at the table with coffee and my eating utensils at the ready. Since I always cook my own breakfast it felt a little strange. “Feed me!  Feed me!”

While we were eating I notice her staring at my head. She finally spoke and said, “Your ears are getting longer.”  Huh? What? Where’d that come from? So now I picture my ears reaching my shoulders. That’s just what I needed to start my day. I liked her better when she didn’t talk.

I know that the feet, ears and nose never stop growing on older adults. Even worse…gravity pulls our height down, while pushing our stomachs out. I think these are tricks God plays on us as we age. He’s got to be laughing as He watches fat, short old people trying to keep their balance wielding a gigantic nose and stepping on their ears with their huge feet. And that’s not the only joke God plays on us as we age.

One thing that keeps Gayle and me from mutually assured destruction is the fact that we share an exceptional amount of laughter. Age provides unlimited opportunities to laugh at yourself, if you’re no longer worried about making an impression on your mate. We’re well past that, so we laugh a lot. We don’t care anymore. I figure that if she accepts me with hair growing out of my ears and my occasional yelp, as I leap to my feet when I accidently sit on “my boys,” I’m sure not going to worry about my ear lobes getting in my coffee.

8 comments:

  1. Ralph, I remember fondly the omelet you fixed for us that beautiful summer morning in Early September last year. I think Gayle cautioned you not include any aliens, or at least I don't recall any in it. But then maybe I don't know what an alien life form resembles.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Malcolm -
    Gayle is always worried about what I might toss in an omelet. Evidently we all survived whatever it was that I put together when you were here. If we didn't need hot sauce or a hammer to kill anything, I guess we dodged a bullet.

    ReplyDelete
  3. If you're ever at Ralph & Gayle's for breakfast, request Ralph's Cactus Omelette & Gayle's pancakes. Absolutely to die for. Come to think of it, the texture of the cactus could easily have been an alien life form. I think I'll not ask.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks, Rog. I had forgotten about that cactus omelet. But was that really cactus...or...?
    I'm glad you didn't ask.

    ReplyDelete
  5. When we were there Ralph said he was fixing us a "wildlife omelet"! I am glad I asked no questions!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I meant to tell you, Ed...remember the fur you found in the omelet...? Well that was... It's better if you don't know.

    ReplyDelete
  7. A little perspective on aging: Just be happy you're only NOW growing hair in your ears... my husband could tell you stories... but I married him anyway!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for the consolation. I'm glad to hear that.
    Actually, the hair has been growing out of my ears for years. I guess I'd just like it to reverse course and pop out of my head where I need it.

    ReplyDelete