Monday Musings - Hats

Note: I had this post ready yesterday, but forgot to publish it. :)

Today is National Felt Hat Day. So while researching hats, I discovered that the phrase "mad as a hatter" comes from the use of mercury nitrate in haberdasheries in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Over time, daily exposure to this metal caused these tradesmen to develop dementia, tics, and other symptoms. These unusual side effects caused people to believe their hatters had gone mad. Thus the phrase.

I lived most of my life in Texas, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. There, I saw lots of men wearing hats. Now that I've moved to Illinois, I miss seeing them. So here are some of the hats from over the years.

First, this is a picture of my dad acting silly at my aunt and uncle's house back in 1969. They were huge Gunsmoke and Paladin fans. Every Saturday night they were in front of the television.

Hubs always wears a hat or a cap. He lived in ranch country Texas and then in Oklahoma, among other places, and was a horse owner. This is a felt hat his friend in Noble, Oklahoma made for him. The color is called silver belly. This picture was taken at The Bumpin Buffalo in Hill City, SD. Can you tell it was raining that day. 

This is another hat Fred made. This picture was taken on our way to Devel's Tower.

Hubs had Fred make a hat for me, too. They have our names inside.

One very hot day while vacationing in Buffalo, Wyoming, I bought this hat to keep the sun off my face. Since these are worn in the summer, it isn't felt, it is straw. When we got home, I added a colorful hat band. It looks plain without one.

This is Hubs riding Bonnie. 

This is granddaughter wearing a straw hat. It looks like she might toss it up in the air.

Then, there is the old reliable stocking cap. This is my prized photo of Toby Keith at Remington Park. He had a horse in the race that night. Note he's holding a red solo cup. 

Now that we live in Illinois, I never get to see cowboy hats. Plus, I never wear mine. People stare. There are a lot of things I miss about Texas and Oklahoma, but most of all it's seeing cowboys in hats. Guess I'll trade my felt hat for a stocking cap. They're warmer anyway.