(by David): I’ve now become famous for wearing my fake fur hat during the winter — as well as in the late fall and in the early spring. Somehow, I’ve become unfashionably fashionable because I don’t like to have a cold head.
In the last millenium, probably when I went shopping with Diana at Value Village, I managed to pick up a Persian lamb skin hat. The style is described as a “envelope hat”, since that’s essentially the shape. It’s like an envelope that you would stuff a letter into — although there’s a slight indent over the top of the head, to accommodate the fact that human heads aren’t narrow. Eventually, Diana thought that the Persian lamb skin hat was looking too ratty — the lamb’s wool was glued onto the surface of the hat, and some was starting to separate. Thus, I retired the hat, and, in the interest of not supporting undue cruelty to animals, started wearing the fake fur version that people are accustomed to seeing on me.
I wouldn’t actually mind paying a reasonable price for the hat, because it’s become a signature for me in the winter, but it doesn’t seem to be in production anymore. Once, when I was in the hat section at Eaton’s — and that should date the visit, since there hasn’t been an Eaton’s in the Eaton Centre for some years — I spoke to a hat salesman about the hat. He said that he hadn’t seen one in a long time, but remembered that the Crystal Cap company (a local company) used to make it.
Then, a few years back, I lost the hat. I managed to find another one at the Goodwill on Jarvis Street. (More dating, because that building has been demolished, and there’s construction over there right now).
In the spring, when I was shuttling Eric around to bike store — that’s when we bought the Trek that he’s riding now — I lost my envelope hat. I’m not exactly sure where it was, because we visited about six stores, and I got tired of carrying it in and out of the minivan. It was a rainy day, and not so cold, so I didn’t absolutely need it. I was sorry that I didn’t have it when I got home, but really didn’t need it for the season anymore, because it was spring.
Last week, it started getting cold in Toronto. I really wanted my hat. Phoning around, winter hats aren’t really available yet, at Goodwill. (They’re still working their way through Halloween sales). I started pressuring Diana to consider tailoring me a hat.
When I came home on Wednesday, Diana said that she had a surprise for me. She had found two hats at the local Value Village. The smaller one didn’t fit, but the larger one did. (I have an extra large head). Diana said that she wished that the smaller one did fit, because it’s in better shape, but I can’t get it over my forehead.
I’m warm again!