I Married This Guy!

In case you didn't notice, the lens in the right side of Harry's glasses is half gone. Why this is significant is not because it is to correct his new cataract-free vision, but because he walked in this way after grinding his glasses to create a solution for his new adjusted eyesight. When the cartoon character Jessica in Who Framed Roger Rabbit was asked why she married Roger, she said "because he makes me laugh." I am Jessica (sans the looks).

My kids believe I married Harry because he adds excitement to my life and I have to admit, honestly, that I am a restless soul and so he does fill the bill. When I first met him, for our first date he picked me up in a car that had oil well equipment on the back seat, because he was drilling wells in Ohio. That did seem a bit out of the ordinary to me. When I first saw his house, I was amazed at the project he undertook. Not a simple remodel. He built most of our first house, which included an indoor swimming pool and pottery room for hobbies. The pottery room was an example of his creative mind. He found the kiln and equipment at a garage sale, and the classes and room followed. He saw a parrot and the next thing I knew, we owned macaws and parrots and even bred them. The cage was a spectacular open air affair that of course, he built. He wanted to fly. Well, he learned and we did. He had a series of different planes and there were a series of trips that ensued. The experiences are fairly endless, and I could go on and on, but the point is, this is a very interesting man who NEVER sees something as impossible. I just go along for the ride.

He has continued to be one of the most interesting, exciting, funny, impulsive, entertaining and annoying people I have ever met. He is generous and kind which counteracts his bluntness and sometimes rudeness. If he likes you, then you will benefit because he has helped many people; whether it is to get a start in a business, a job or just a helping hand. The Masons invited him to a meeting and later to join their organization after he was observed helping a fellow shopper deal with a difficult load in a Home Depot shopping lot. He talks to everyone. Someone once said he probably talks to statues in the park. He makes people laugh, or he offends them. Depends on the recipient and their willingness to engage with a stranger in banter or political views. He makes connections wherever he goes. And, he is unbelievable bright. Not just intelligence, but in a very creative way. I think of him as a small scale Donald Trump with better hair.

What would the last 25 years of my life have been like without Harry? Well, I am sure it would have been a smoother path to travel. There have definitely been some potholes along the way, and some have been pretty deep. But I would have missed the slow climb up the roller coaster and then the wild free fall down at breakneck speed. That adrenaline rush has made it, in the words of my father-in-law, quite a ride!