Cartoon Couple

Awhile back, I posted a drawing of my 5 boys rendered in pen and colored pencils by my fourth son ("My Pearls of Great Price," March 30). Our whole family has long thought that this boy is such a talented artist and cartoonist, someday we might actually be seeing his name in the funny papers. He is always drawing these original, zany characters that spring from an uber-creative brain, a quick wit, and a somewhat--how to put it?--off-beat sense of humor. (He also has a way of turning a phrase that makes people LOL; I use the term "uber," one of his go-to adverbs, in honor of him.)

This is a cartoon he did of my husband and me a few years ago. He's captured my husband's caricature-worthy features to a T: the Dudley Do Right chin; the prominent space between his two front teeth; the black Converse "Chuck Taylor" sneakers that have been the only footwear he's ever worn (unless the occasion requires something dressier) since I started dating him back in the early 70's; the Western-style jacket with the "sheepskin" lining; and finally, the piece de resistance, the cowboy hat--not exactly a typical wardrobe item in our New England town, but something he never leaves home without. My husband thinks being a rancher would be the coolest thing in the world--if he knew anything about running a ranch. Actually he thinks it would be cool to own a ranch and let someone else run it, and then he could just ride around on a horse wearing a cowboy hat, surveying his land. (His boys have called him a few things on account of the cowboy gear, including "a poser" and "the Under-Armor Cowboy.")

I don't have as many interesting features to spotlight as my adorable hubby, aside from my boring and ridiculous hair-do (should 50-plus women still be wearing headbands?), which hasn't changed in decades. But I do like the way my son has drawn me, for several reasons:

1) Some artistic license was taken so that it appears I'm very slim and have almost no hips. (Guess who's my favorite?)

2) My son decided to give me nice round eyes; the truth is that if I'm smiling at all, my eyes are reduced to nothing more than slits.

3) He's drawn me cradling--practically caressing--a steaming cup of coffee. And my ever-present coffee cup is as much a part of me as my husband's Chucks and cowboy hat are a part of him!