Jack wrote this in December, 2005:
For those of you blogsters who visit to satisfy your hungries for weirdness, here’s something that I forgot to mention in reference to the blood/hat stuff yesterday.
I got to examining that hat more closely, though I’ve yet to clean off what’s on it.
Turns out it isn’t quite black, but is a deep green instead. But I’ve only seen one hat like it in my life. I believe this hat belongs to me, that I haven’t seen it since before Y2K. It’s a doppelganger of one I think I might have bought from L.L. Bean 15 or so years ago because it could be wadded up and stuck in the pocket. Nice hat, but I quit wearing it after I bought my first Tilley (canvas, hat-wearer/appreciater’s dream) hat.
If I’m correct about this hat in front of me the implications are troubling. It would have come from some box or storage barrel out at my Y2K cabin, 150 miles from here, roughly.
Just an added note to remind you that strangeness exists in this life if you let it in.
Jack
Nice little Christmas gift
And I didn’t even expect to get one.
That old hat cleaned up real nice. A Quaker of the old variety would observe admiringly, “It looks real plain.” Another thing to be grateful for this great day, plus another addition to the mess of hats that cause me a lot of trepidation when I go outdoors. Hmmm this one, or that one?
Sometimes I pick the wrong one but don’t realize it until I’m out in the truck. End up having to unlock the adobe and come back in to switch.
But the Tilley’s are still the best for just plain old backpacking and he-mansyness out in the manly world where manly men do manly things.
Anyway, just got back from playing another few hours of blackjack. Ain’t entirely certain I won’t pick out just the right headgear and head on back down there after the cats get their outdoorsiness taken care of for a while.
Might not even buy lottery tickets for tonight, though I’m torn. When you feel as exuberant as I’m feeling it mightn’t be a bad idea just to polish things off with a QP.
Hope all of you are having a grand old time. Hope you’re all just forgiving the bejesus out of all those folks you tend to be impatient with. Hope you all are spreading a lot of love and kindness and mercy to those around you.
In a sense that’s what tomorrow’s supposed to be the anniversary of the beginning of.
It ain’t ever too late to begin.
Jack
The Hat
Best Christmas gift I’ve had in years. Probably still would be if it weren’t the only Christmas gift I’ve had in years.
Only thing wrong with that picture is that I betrayed the difficulty I was having keeping from grinning. Holding a camera out at arm length and trying to take a picture of your new hat can be like that.
Smiling good thoughts at you blogsterissimos. But not grinning. That’s what self-discipline’s all about. Remember where you heard it.
Jack
So Far From Heaven 