[Previous entry: "Fire Engine Madness"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Updates on Some Peeps"]

11/10/2003 Entry: "My Beloved's Toggle Coat"

I can't remember how long ago it was. It was before Susan and I were married--I remember that. She needed a coat. I decided a new coat would make an excellent Christmas gift. It was decided.

The day after Thanksgiving is of course the busiest day of the year. It was also the day that Nautica held its big warehouse sale at their outlet store in Rockland. So, o the busiest shopping day of the year, I spent my 1/2 hour McDonalds lunch break (that should help narrow down the year) in a giant mob of people looking for a great deal.

The old outlet store was on the bottom floor of a mill style manufacturing building. Big, open floor plan, with exposed wooden beams. I trod amongst the shoppers, hating shopping on this day. (I still do.) Still, a coat needed to be purchased, and this was a good opportunity for a working stiff to buy his woman a coat he could otherwise not afford. But in searching, I found nothing suitable.

I was leaving the store, and did a 360 scan of the area, just to make sure I wasn't missing anything. That's when I saw it. On a support post, above the regular racks, was a lone coat. A toggle coat. Or, what the Europeans apparently call a duffle coat. It was the only one like it in the place. Honest. The only one. I could barely reach it to pull it down. I tried it on. It fit me, so I knew it would be big on her. No worries--nothing wrong with a winter coat that's a little roomy. It had the typical plaid lining, and a really cool hood as is typical of the style. Also cool, it not only had the flap pockets below, but two slash pockets higher up on the breast--perfect for hands or a pair of mittens.

But the coat is plum wore out, now. It's time for a new one. And, I'm due for a coat too, so I'm thinking on picking one up too. Something a little more rugged than my usual wool overcoat. And, the hood has that really cool Obi-Wan vibe going on.