Sunday, December 09, 2007

Well, I guess it worked for Daniel Boone

Now that the temps have dropped and the wind has taken the opportunity to whip against all who dare to venture outside, I love my sleeping bag coat more than ever.

There was a brief moment this week, however, when the coat and I had to work through an issue.

I arrived at work one morning, cozy as could be and so appreciative for the warmth the coat had lent me on the journey. The fur on the collar had gently brushed my face and kept the wind from blowing down my neck. "What a great coat I have," thought I.

Out of curiosity, I decided to check the coat's filling. Was it a special down that made it so warm, or was the down intermingled with some new man-made insulation that kept the cold from reaching me?

Down,
Waterfowl feathers,
Wool lining--
All there, the magical combination of warmth.

But what's this?
The fur is
Raccoon Fur!?

I was horrified. And not because I was offended by the presence of real animal fur (sorry PETA, that's not my cause), but because it was RACCOON.

Raccoons, the rodents of my childhood.

Raccoons,
the
trash invading,
birdseed stealing,
rabies transmitting,
roadkill thieves in the night.

And now, I'm wearing a coonskin. Against my face. And liking it. What's next? Ratskin gloves?

I imagined Michael Kors searching the highways and byways for a dead 'coon with which to make the trim on my coat, and suddenly, I liked both Michael Kors and my coat a little bit less. (To be fair, I never said my reaction was rational. I'm sure Michael Kors didn't search the roads for a dead 'coon. He probably sent his people to do it for him...)

How to resolve this dilemma?

In the end my pragmatism won over (as usual).
This is the warmest coat I've ever owned. It can't help it that someone made a bad choice in fur selection.

I was able to forgive it for its rodent trim,
but I have not forgotten, and I still can't nuzzle my cheek into the fur like I did before.
I'll work on that. Maybe with time...

8 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Michelle said...

I think Big Lar would be proud that you sport the coon skin.


But gross, really. Don't let lt touch your face anymore. :)

Sonny Huisman said...

Ok, Dana . . . I'm with you. I too have an amazing, stylish winter coat . . . I too, loved the fur-lined hood, and I too was horrified to find out that it was raccoon fur!!!!

I pictured the same nasty rodents that we used to aim for as we drove . . . but then I looked a bit closer and found that it was Finn Raccoon (from Finland).

In my mind I like to picture the Finnish Raccoon as much more sophisticated and sleek than our American rodent version - kind of like a mink, right?

Michelle said...

Ummm, Yuck!

Anonymous said...

So a racoon, which is basically a plant eater, is SOOOO much more gross than a Mink that eats fish and other aquatic animals and lives in ditches of farms with all that gross farm-runoff?

WIERDOS

Sonny Huisman said...

touche' Braaaaaaaaad - both are pretty gross.

But it's the fish oils that make the minks fur so silky and soft!

And, if my memory serves, racoons are garbage eaters, not veggies,

Anne Marie said...

http://bobsloblawblog.blogspot.com/
please read our friend kevin's blog
"we fix problems" or we fix things.
goes nicely with yur daniel boone story.

Lorraine said...

Twenty-three skiddoo! Just imagine yourself in the 20's when everyone wore racoon coats.

Doesn't help?

Sorry.