I wonder, for equal performance, if low winged airplanes aren't a bit more
efficient? My Mooney (an M20J) is really clean, I file for 150 kts (and get it)
while burning less than 9 gph at reasonable altitudes, and I don't know of a
high winded airplane that does that.

As for crosswind landings, the ground effect in a low winged airplane is much
more pronounced, I'm not sure they are easier in general to land. Its stalling
speed really increases dramatically from 5 feet AGL to 6 inches AGL. Of course,
touching down on the upwind wheel first puts that wing even closer to the
ground.

So, I recognize many of the disadvantages of low winged airplanes, but there's
this. In my particular one, thinking the thought and having the airplane
respond as if it was clairvoyant is something I've not found in high winged
airplanes (or other low winged ones, for that matter). Maybe it has more to do
with flying the same airplane for a long time.

Nah -- it's a Mooney.