Fur Hat People

Tonight was the Santa Claus Parade and I decided to don the silver fox hat to keep the chill away. Same hat as in this photo. The rest of the outfit was different. It's not cold enough outside for a sealskin coat. (must be -20 C or colder for this full length parka).

I raced down to the main drag and looked around for some friends. Not finding them I sat down on the edge of a wooden planter box, in the most perfect parade viewing location.

A buddy from work and is daughter ambled over and he greeted me with "We noticed the fur hat and had to come and join you". He was wearing a fabulous white wolf hat.

I told his daughter that I had requested of several float organizers that a lot of candy be tossed out to the crowds. Buddy and I demonstrated how we would score all the candy with the fur hats as catchers' mitts. His daughter quickly snatched his out of his hands and ran off to try.

I didn't see any other fur hatted folk in our vicinity. People had cleverly parked in each parking lot along the route, with headlamps aimed squarely onto the road. It was actually quite lovely. So if there had been other fur hat people close by, we would've formed a club.

I'm sure we were the most comfortable people there. No stomping around, no sitting in the truck: we had fur keeping all that precious head heat in.

Fur hat people can get pretty smug about things. We know that we attract attention. We know that not everyone understands the power of wearing fur. We understand that some have ethical problems with the fur harvest. And yet, being sensible northerners, we go on wearing them proudly.

After many years of Mounties using a fake muskrat hat, I understand they have gone back to real fur hats. And I know of American military tests that indicate fur is the warmest clothing by far. Cannot be beat. And if you know that your pelt came from an animal that was used by the hunter or trapper as food and materials, I cannot find any fault in that.

Fur hatted people have the best stories too. Tonight I found out a great story to do with my carpenter getting lost in the bush in the dark while hunting this week. Whoo-haaaaa! Something good I can bug him about. Yes. Fur hatted people are never in a hurry. They make the best story tellers.

Oh, and the parade was excellent.