A Day to Remember - Ida, Afghanistan & a Lost Hat

A lot of things happened yesterday - aside from the never ending pandemic. Hurricane Ida wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast - a reason I would never live next to any kind of water; the Afghanistan war finally came to an end - our son was deployed twice and once to Iraq as a cardiac surgeon; and the winter hat my husband lost last year was at last found! In the scheme of things the last bit is quite unremarkable, but that hat meant a lot to my husband. These days, even the smallest things can make a huge difference. When the hat was lost last year we tried to retrace where it may have been, including the Persian grocery store. First they said they had it, but when we drove over they didn’t. Then recently we checked the front desk to see if there was a lost and found. We described the hat to the guy, but when he brought the box out - no luck there. Yesterday, when we went to pick up a package, the front desk said they hat the hat. We weren’t sure how he knew it was the one. When he came out from the room behind the desk we couldn’t believe it. It was like finding a lost friend. How did it appear since we checked last? It’s funny how the small things mean so much. We got that hat when we lived in the Midwest even before we moved to Capitol Hill fifteen years ago. It’s been to a lot of places. I’m glad we found it because I wasn’t sure what my husband would wear this winter. Now I don’t need to think about it, and he’s very happy. 

Bloomingdale's Echo Slouch Hat, Visor, and Pompom

I didn't bring a lot of my winter wardrobe with me from the Midwest when we moved to DC. I left behind several hats and coats thinking it couldn't possibly be as cold here. We were wrong! And since I retired almost two years ago, my wardrobe has changed completely from work wear to casual. And since we walk every day - rain or shine - my wardrobe now includes outerwear that covers just about every climate. One item I've been wanting to add for winter is a hat. I don't like hoods because you can't turn your head. I have a lumberjack hat for really cold wind and a baret for mid level cold - but it doesn't cover my ears. So I wanted to find a Slouch Hat to cover my ears, but it needed to have a visor to keep the snow off my face and glasses, but more importantly keep the sun glare from my eyes. You would have thought this might be somewhat easy to find. Hah! We started at LLBean yesterday and there was nothing. I looked on line and you would have thought I was trying to find something that was never heard of. So today we ventured out to Tyson's and checked Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Saks, J Crew, and Nordstrom. Nothing! Then we tried Bloomingdale's. By then we had about had it. Then, right by the door we entered was a great selection of winter hats - and one that actually was a beret/Slouch Hat, visor, with a pompon combined! I didn't want black or blue, so ended up with a kind of purple/maroon that goes with my walking coat. I'm just sorry I forgot to use a gift card I received last year. So hopefully this Echo hat will do the trick. I would never have worn something like this before. But I've never been retired, walked every day, and lived in DC either.