As you all know, Hank and I are husband and wife. We've been together a lot of years. And it's been a grand lot of years.

By now I think I know him almost as good as his mother did. (I say this because I'm a mother and mother's know everything there is to know about heir children and you can't tell them otherwise, haha.)

Like most people, Hank has a lot of quirks. I can't say I understand all of them, but over the years I've learned to appreciate them as he has learned to appreciate mine.

As you can imagine, Hank has lots of quirks, though I wouldn't say more than most; but I've narrowed them down to ten. Ten things that are his favorite things. Ten things that make him who he is. Ten things that make me chuckle every time. Ten things that make him predictable in a most wonderful way. Ten things I've learned to love and that make me love him.

Enjoy,

Naddy

1.

My Hank gets up in the middle of the night, sometimes more than once for milk and a cookie or for a glass of chocolate milk. You guessed it. Hank loves chocolate. It's his comfort food I guess. I'm not much of a chocolate lover. Not to say I don't eat it, but I don't go crazy without it. For Hank, it's a dietary supplement. Haha. I used to forget to buy them from the store. It made no difference to me. But it made a difference to him. He'd whine and moan and mope about it to all ends of the world. So now, I make sure we are all stocked up on chocolate and milk. A cranky Hank is not a pleasant thing. I like to see Hank happy.

 

2

Hank loves to leave the lights on. Hank can't see in the dark, so he likes to leave lights on so he doesn't have to worry about it. It doesn't matter if he's in the room or not, if he's going to pass through at any point he turns it on and leaves it on. What he's afraid of, I don't know. Now, by the looks of him, you'd think he was a bit of a tight wad, but he doesn't seem to be when it comes to the electric bill. He does make full use of electricity every night, only worrying about turning everything off when he's on his way to bed. It makes me cringe, but I have to say, seeing the lights on where they aren't necessary reminds me he is with me or close by, so it does lift my heart.

 

3.

Hank loves pillows and heavy covers. He has pillows of all shapes and sizes. I'm not allowed to touch them. They have to be just so, some fluffed, some not. And they all have to have a different pillow case so he can tell them apart. Now, I ask you, if you're sleeping, and it's dark, can you tell the difference? Apparently, Hank can. Logically, I'm lost, so if you have an answer, let me in on it. One pillow is all I can handle. He also needs his covers to have some sort of weight to them. I like mine light as a feather. I've made adjustments over the years. He's occasionally compromised with the covers, but never with the pillows. He even steals mine if he thinks I'm not using it. In all fairness, Hank had back problems and uses them to prop him over here and over there depending on which side he's laying on. But it has truly gone way beyond the three that were necessary back in the day. I'd be lost in a bed without pillows and weighty covers.

4.

Hank loves to let his toenails grow long. He says they don't cut or grow right if he cuts them prematurely or too short. Enough said.

5.

My Hank loves to just stand there. This is not a love that began with old age, as one might imagine. He just stands there and stares like he has all the time in the world, a goofy smile on his face. I have to wonder what goes on in that mind of his. He always says, "Why I'm thinking of you, dear." Now this may be true, but I'm more likely to think he just gets brain farts and doesn't know what he's thinking. He appreciates the moment, this is true in many ways. I'm a mover. I like to be on my toes, so sometimes I have to admit it irks me, him just deciding to stand around like that when we've got important things to do. But then his just standing there has slowed me down a bit. He's taught me how to stop and smell the roses, and we have plenty of those in our front garden.

6.

Hank loves to use Tide laundry detergent. This I most certainly cannot stand. It may work for him. Fine. But it does not work for me. I can't stand the scent. It's too harsh on my clothes. I have nothing against Tide, mind you. Some people swear by it. But I've always used Cheer or Woolite. So when Hank buys Tide for the laundry because he saw it was on sale, I smile at him and say, "Oh, good." And then I hand him his laundry basket, letting him know, of course, that he's the Tide pro. I can't get it work as well as he does. I let him know that I'll do mine separately so he doesn't have to do as much. ;)

7.

Hank loves to fix things. I think you all know where I'm going with this. Although his heart is in the right place, he does more planning and thinking than he does fixing. Most everything in the house is half fixed, to be continued lord knows when. And as for clean up of his fix-it projects, well, he's been getting better at it.

8.

Hank loves to read receipts in line at the grocery. Remember when I said Hank wasn't a tightwad about the electric bill? Well, he is one when it comes to spending money on food. He does not like to get gypped by the cashiers. "They make mistakes you know." He enjoys saying this on the way to the car. Which we get to only after he's double checked everything on the list while still in line. The cashier tries to hurry him up by starting on the next batch of groceries, but to no avail. I have to say, he has caught some mistakes. Enough to take us to the movies once. And I suppose it does make up for the electricity over-usage.

 

9.

Hank loves to linger in the electronics section for "a minute or two". I have a stack of magazines in the car, wating for me so I don't have to wait around twiddling my thumbs while my feet swell up, I can go wait in the car instead. This way he doesn't feel rushed. Who am I to complain. But let me just say, boys and their electronics. I used to wish I was a stereo.

 

10.

Hank loves to dress up for Halloween. He truly gets into the spirit. Gets all dressed up head to toe. You ever know what he's going to be. In fact, he sometimes changes costumes halfway through festivities just for the fun of it. But here's the thing.... Hank dresses up for Halloween when it's not Halloween. I surprises me at the front door with a wig or an outfit or a claw hand, and he laughs about it till there's no tomorrow. I'm not surprised by anything anymore. Let me just say I do have a second favorite outfit. Hank has a fox tail he picked up at a thrift store somewhere. When he puts that one on, I know he's feeling sly and I'd better watch out, if you know what I mean.

 

 

Love you Hank,

~Naddy