At least once a year I blog about my favorite winter hat. No other hat is as warm and comfy, or as static-free. I milked cows for twenty or so years wearing this very stocking cap. Somewhere along the line Cliff borrowed it and realized it was the best stocking hat he'd ever come across.
So for a long time, we shared it. If it wasn't time to milk the cows, Cliff was allowed to use it.
We acquired this perfect hat as a result of Cliff's youngest sister getting a divorce back in the 70's. Her ex's brother worked on the pipeline in Alaska and had given it to them as a Christmas gift. Charlene had no use for it, and I latched onto it like a dog on a bone.
Once in awhile Cliff would stay outside past milking time, and I was left hatless. So when I stumbled upon another stocking cap that I'd had for years but never worn down in the depths of a junk drawer, I decided to try it out. It wasn't as good as the Alaska hat, but it was a close second. Debbie, a co-worker of Cliff's, had given it to me for Christmas in 1980 or 81 and it was still like new.
Now Cliff and I each had our own cold-weather hat.
Every once in awhile the Alaska hat comes up missing, and both of us worry and fret until it shows up again. During one such disappearance two or three years back, Charlene took pity on us and decided to look for another hat that would be just as serviceable and warm as our favorite.
She found this at a Harley-Davidson dealer. Her reasoning was that Harley riders ride in all kinds of weather, so this ought to be the warmest hat in the world.
Now I appreciated the thought behind her gift, but please... look at that hat! It doesn't even have any edge to turn up! It hung unused on a peg behind the door at our old house we moved, and then I put it in a drawer.
Recently I ran across the Harley hat and realized it might possibly be made to wear under a motorcycle helmet; I put it with our other gear to try out in cold weather.
Thursday when we left on our ride, it was in the upper thirties and I remembered to put it on.
I can't begin to tell you how much warmer my head was with that hat lining my helmet!
So, Charlene, from the bottom of my heart I thank you: This hat didn't serve the original purpose for which you bought it, but it now has a much nobler purpose; it helps keep me warm on those winter-time motorcycle rides!
They say that most of our body heat is lost through the head so good for you to layer it with your helmet. I always wear a hooded coat and keep the hood up but when it gets cold like it has been I put a stocking cap on under the hood too. My hair my suffer but I don't know of anyone that cares anyway so I just keep warm.
ReplyDelete'On Ya'-ma
I was going to say the same thing as Ma... glad you found a purpose for it... and glad you are warmer because of it.
ReplyDeleteHave a good week!
Interesting little story and cute little hats. John wears a stocking hat to feed the cows or when he was burning pear. It belonged to my daughter Leah in the 70's when she was on her school tennis team.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your hat entry. We just don't wear many hats here in TN but we wear a lot of coats with hoods and hoodies.
ReplyDeleteI did not realize how much warmer I was with a cap! I have a scarf that is made like a cap and then the ends go around my neck! I try not to leave the house without it. If you have ever been in Kansas then you know how much the wind blows here. See you have Facebook. 1944... hummm I was born in 1943. lol My son told me last night that I should get on Faceback. lol Hope you have a blessed week. Janie
ReplyDeleteI'm a hat lover myself. I'm always wearing a hat of some sort. I've got one like your alaska hat that I wear to work in cold weather. It drives me crazy because it's too warm inside but if I take it off it gives me this terrible case of hat hair. And then everyone makes fun of me. So I usually just keep it on. I've got one that someone bought me years ago, I think when we lived in alaska. It's a wooly hat, like yours. But it's triple layered with thinsulate on the inside. It's way too warm to wear here and it makes your head look huge. I may have to find somebody way up north to mail it to.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I will have to see if we have something similiar to your Harley cap for my winter rides. Maybe it will help with the static electricity hair problem I'm having recently. We have about 8 different types of stocking caps around. Even one from my high school years.
ReplyDeletedonna when you are 65 sign up for mediacare, I didn't because i has good insurance and was working I reasoned even if i had to pay a deducetable on my insurance it was better than paying insurance cost for mediacare. Guess what when I stoped working the mediacare charge was larger because I had not enrolled when I was 65.
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