Sunday, February 11, 2018

Man of many hats

I have always loved hats, not the kind of love where I always have to be wearing one but almost.

Jimmy as a toddler placing a hat on his own head, app 1962
Jimmy with a hat at 2 years old.
One of the earliest pictures I have found of myself putting a hat onto my head is just before my second birthday, I shared this with you back in a post called Just turn around.

I have always owned a cowboy hat of one sort or another, you have seen several pictures of me wearing a straw hat. A straw cowboy hat is a must have for me, they not only looks good any time, they also keep the sun off of your face and neck when the sun is blaring down upon you.

Another must have is a waterproof leather or better yet an oilskin "Aussie" style hat that keeps your head dry when it rains. This hat also blocks the sun, works as a water bowl for your favorite four legged friend, and even looks good as a hat. I love this style of hat that has many names, Australian outback, pinch front, tear drop, and some even say that Indiana Jones wears this hat.

A brown pinch front straw hat hanging on a computer monitor.
My old pinch front straw hat.
 Whatever you call it this is the crease I prefer, even on my straw hats.

I have worn many hats over the years. I bought myself a purple and gold ball cap from my high school sometime around the beginning of my junior year, this was our school colors and it went really well with my matching purple windbreaker. I looked good and blended in at school very well, but stuck out like a sore thumb everywhere else I went.

When I first moved to New Mexico at age 18, all the guys around town were wearing "Worley Mills" ball caps. They were good looking hats and to look like everyone else I acquired myself a bright yellow and blue cap with the Worley Mills logo on the front, just like everyone else, I looked good in that cap for a short time.

I needed to find myself a job, because helping my dad out at a gas station just wasn't a good source for spending money. So I got up early one morning, showered and shaved, put on the nicest shirt and the best jeans that I owned and of course my good boots, on the way out the door I grabbed my new Worley Mills cap because it was the only clean cap that I had at the time.

In those days when looking for a job you didn't get on the internet to look for work, as I have been told is the proper way now, besides Al Gore hadn't invented the internet yet. There was no filling out applications online and waiting to be contacted, instead you actually went places and filled out job applications in person, by hand, and hoped for an immediate interview. If you didn't get an immediate interview then you went back another day to check on your application and to show interest in the job, a lot of times you were hired on the spot...

One place that I applied for a job was Farmers Co-op Elevators, this is a silo/elevator grain storage facility that also sells animal feed. After filling out an application and waiting for the manager to go over it, I was called into his office for an interview. I got the job! I was hired right then and there, I was to start immediately! The Manager liked me, I had done good! The manager handed me a brand spanking new Farmers Co-op ball cap, and then gave me my first task as a new employee, I had to dispose of my Worley Mills hat immediately, like right now before I left the office, because they were the direct competition, located right across the tracks.

This is the only time in my life that I have been hired by a company while displaying their competitors advertising, and also the last time that I applied for a job at a place I knew absolutely nothing about.

Jimmy holding Grandson with both wearing a straw hat looking at one another.
Jimmy holding Grandson wearing a straw hat.
I introduced my grandson to his first straw hat when he was just a little guy, and he wore that hat until it was too small for him, so next time we are together  I have a date to take him hat shopping, just because I can.

Why do people wear hats? A good ball cap is designed to keep the sun out of your eyes, seriously folks the proper way to wear a ball cap is with the bill straight out in the front over your eyes, this the only way that the bill will do it's proper job of shading your face.

I have seen a lot of people now who wear their ball caps backwards, or sideways, or even cocked to the side just a bit with the bill over one eye, I guess this is either a choice for style or they woke up early and just didn't get their hats on straight that day.

Brown dog wearing a Santa Claus hat.
Photo by Duffy Brook on Unsplash
Hats are also worn to help keep you warm in the wintertime, they help to hold the heat in your body by keeping your head warm, and as I've mentioned they also block the hot sun during the summertime to help keep you from overheating.

Hats are worn for fashion, style, as protection from the elements, and as personal protective equipment at work, and sometimes completely wrong just because you like it that way.

Over the years I have worn many hats, from hard hats on the job, ball caps to advertise my favorite school or racing driver, to straw hats for no reason at all. I just simply like a nice looking hat, and like my old jeans sometimes a cap that is old and broken in.

Jimmy looking sideways at camera wearing a denim blue ball cap
Do you wear a hat and what is your favorite style?

42 comments:

  1. What a cute photo of you with your grandson!

    The only hats I wear are knit caps to keep warm and red hats to my Red Hat Society teas. I don't look good in any hat and often wish I did. My husband was like you, had to a hat on his head---cowboy hats, knit stocking caps, baseball caps, fur hats, hard hats---everything but straw. He even had a hat made out of beer cans and he didn't even drink. When he died I donated close to a hundred baseball caps but I kept five for sentimental reasons and I still have his cowboy hats.

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    1. Jean I imagine that you look a lot better in a hat than you give yourself credit for, the red hats always look good I had a neighbor in New Mexico that was a member of the Red Hat Society and a red hat is all I ever remember seeing her wear. A hat made of beer cans I bet that was a sight to see, and I completely understand holding on to some of your husband's hats, there has to be a little bit of comfort in holding onto something that was important to him.

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  2. I prefer a ball cap with brim forward to indicate I am not an idiot (unless the wind threatens to blow it off my head, then brim in the back is acceptable) and a warm baret style in the winter.

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    1. Joe I have been really lucky for the most part in keeping my hat brim forward, in the wind I just pull it down tighter onto my head, it'd probably be easier to flip it around but I just haven't tried that yet.

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  3. I'm not much for hats, but will put on a yacht club hat when out on the boat. It's a good idea to keep the sun from burning you to death. Hubby loves his mountain man hats and he looks really good in them.

    I love that you got the job while wearing their competitors hat. Good one.

    Have a fabulous day, Jimmy. ☺

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    1. Sandee you are smart to wear a hat while out on the boat, it's really important to block the sun from your face and neck. I bet your husband does look good wearing his mountain man hat, I love those old slouch hats...

      A great day to you also.

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  4. I wear a cap for my driveway walking, because it keeps the hair out of my mouth, and the sun out of my eyes. My favorite is a blue and white baseball cap with KC on the front. I'm not a Royals fan. Redbird Nation here! But I found that hat hanging in a chain link fence when I was working one summer as a daycare attendant at the YWCA in Springfield, MO.

    My current driveway cap is blue and white like that, given to me from Hick's hoard of many caps, because I've misplaced my KC hat. Which, prophetically, ended up being my real initials after marriage.

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    1. Being a Cardinals fan there is nothing other than your initials that the KC on your blue and white cap could have stood for, hopefully it's not once again stuck in a fence somewhere, I'm sure Hick was happy to share one of his many hats with you. I wonder if your KC hat somehow migrated into Hick's stash?

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  5. I rarely ever wear hats, my wife hates when I do. I'm not sure why

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    1. Daisy is accustomed to seeing you without a hat, I imagine her not liking for you to wear one is as simple as that, that would be my guess.

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  6. I love hats. I will buy them alot but only wear one on a “bad hair day”. I like ball caps that are distressed warn and tattered. I also love to wear my fedora at the beach.
    Lisa

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    1. You can't go wrong with an old worn out ball cap for comfort, I should have mentioned this in my post but I do have a camouflage University of South Carolina hat (it does have some garnet and black on the side of the brim) I have worn that hat so much that it got so filthy and dirty Cindy couldn't stand to see it, I couldn't find another like it so I took a scrub brush and dishwashing liquid to it in the kitchen sink, I hung it on the fence to dry and it came out looking brand new, I have since done this to it twice more and still love that hat.

      There has to be something classy about wearing a fedora at the beach Lisa, I bet that is a comfortable hat too.

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  7. I hated hats when I was younger, but started wearing cotton sunhats with wide brims about 30 years ago after I saw a skin specialist about a flaky patch on my face. I was terrified I had skin cancer. It wasn't, just dry skin, but he recommended sunscreen as a daily routine and a shady hat too. The wide brim is important for keeping the sun off the back of the neck and also to shade the ears, a common place for sunburn and skin cancer to develop. Where I live now, there are a couple of older men with funny shaped ears after having parts removed because of skin cancers. I have worn a ball cap occasionally, but prefer a full brim and a soft hat that I can toss into the washing machine because my head sweats quite a lot.

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    1. Excellent choice on wearing the wide brim hats River, skin cancer is a serious thing that we don't often think about until it's too late, like you when I'm out in the sun for an extended time I always wear one of my straw cowboy hats.

      The soft full brim hats that you wear that can be thrown into the washing machine is a great one to have because any hat worn for awhile is going to stain up with sweat.

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    2. Stinky sweat too. I remember one day being on a bus and smelling something really awful and It seemed to follow me around town too, when I got home I took off my hat and as it passed my nose it hit me, that smell was my hat, so I tossed it in the wash right away and sent a mental apology to everyone who sat near me on the bus that day. Now I have three hats and wash them every week.

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  8. Is a ball cap the same as a baseball cap? My Joe had so many caps you could build tower with them. Everyone bought him a cap, from all over the world, and covering all trades. Oh the decision he had to make each day about which one to wear was laughable. I prefer the hat you're wearing in the pic, those were the sort my dad wore. Love the last picture of you and the grandson, is he still as good looking?

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    1. Good morning Valerie, Yes mam the ball cap is definitely a baseball cap, leave it to me to shorten the correct name ha ha. With everyone bringing Joe caps from all over I bet he did have quite an impressive collection, and with a collection like that choosing one to wear I imagine was a task.

      The Grandson Valerie, I have to say that he gets better looking every day...

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  9. You've shown some really great pics Jimmy, and the hats are cool! I have a friend who won't go out in public without one of his caps, and my son collects sports hats. I think wearing hats gives you a different look each day. Hugs...RO

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    1. Thank you RO, Like your friend I rarely go out without a hat either, feel kind of naked without one...

      A sports cap collection could grow quite large in a short period of time, does your son wear them or just collect them? there are some people who will not allow a cap in their collections to be worn.

      Yes a hat or cap can definitely change your whole look.

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  10. I'm a hat hater, I'm sorry to say. I don't want hat hair! But how sweet is the photo with your grandson!

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    1. Bijoux it's only hat hair when you take your hat off :) , most people use a hat to cover up a bad hair day even if the cause is the hat itself ha ha. But being a hat hater is OK too there are a lot of people who simply don't care for a hat for many reasons and I am sure hat hair is the main one.

      Thank you Bijoux, I love that picture with Benjamin he was a cute little guy then.

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  11. If I wear a hat, it's to serve a purpose - block the sun or keep my head warm or both. I think it's more customary for men and boys to wear hats for fashion these days.
    Your grandson is simply adorable in that photo! Happy shopping!

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    1. Abby those are excellent reasons to wear a hat, blocking the sun and keeping your head warm are both very important. Yes hats are more of a fashion statement than for need, I use them for a little of both.

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  12. Thanks for stopping by Driller's Place. Yes, I wear hats a lot. Baseball caps make up my hat wardrobe. My collection fluctuates between 50 and 75. I rotate them out as they get old and sweaty when I do yard work in them.

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    1. Thank you Driller it's good to see you my friend. 50 to 75 caps gives you a nice collection of baseball caps to choose from to wear. They do get old and sweaty pretty quickly when worn to do yard work it's nice to have options for a clean cap.

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  13. I wear a Chinese coolie hat when doing yard work. It is just a bit smaller than an umbrella. Otherwise, I wear nothing on my head.
    Loved the shot of you and your grandson in straw hats.

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    1. I bet the Chinese coolie hat works very well for blocking the sun from your face, like I have mentioned before it is very important to wear a hat when outside like this, and in my opinion you have made an excellent choice for a nice hat.

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  14. i don't wear hats Jimmy...last year at the beginning of summer I bought myself a straw cowboy style hat because the hubs nags me all summer long about being out in the sun with no hat......it was the worst summer ever and I never needed the hat. Go figure. I found it the other day in my closet crushed under a pile of shoe boxes. Oh well.

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    1. Delores you sound like my wife Cindy, I think the last time she wore a hat was when we went to the Nascar race, as seen in my header image ha ha.

      Wearing a straw hat outside is not a bad idea but if you are not used to wearing one it is hard to do, and this is when you find your straw hat somewhere at the bottom of a pile crushed all out of shape.

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  15. I love hats --- on other people! Usually I wear a hat only twice a year - once in the summer when I can't manage to be inside all day, and once in the winter when I need to shovel snow and it's windy and I would freeze without it. Otherwise, I'm good with just hair :)

    Great post, Jimmy, as usual you find a way to make any topic interesting!

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    1. Jenny some people look good with just hair, and the rest of us wear hats :)

      Thank you my friend I am happy that you enjoyed this one.

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    2. Hah! I didn't say I looked good, just that I was okay with it!

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  16. Ron's shop is filled with all of his hats. Cowboy hats, Indiana Jones hats, ball caps from every ship he ever served on. They are gathering dust and mud-dobber nests. It hurts my heart to look at them. The grandchildren do not want them. But I see Ron when I look at each of them.

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    1. Annie, I know there are a lot of memories tied into each and every one of those hats that once belonged to Ron, I hate it that the grandchildren don't see Ron in those hats like you do. Like you I am one of those people who hold on to your loved ones like this, Thank you for sharing this with me.

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  17. people (mostly men) wear hat here too but not that often and may be because of mild sunny weather though in northern part of country where is my native village situated caps and hats are almost permanent part of clothing due to cold weather

    I used to see cowboy movies and loved hats
    but loved ladies decorated elegant hats more

    thank you for cute photo of your childhood such an adorable move haha

    liked one with your grandson too ,you guys look terrific in hats

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    1. Baili, As you know hats are very important in a colder area and they do help tremendously in keeping you warm.

      There are some beautiful women's hats that I have seen worn also.

      Thank you so much my friend the grandson and I both do love our hats.

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  18. The only hats I've ever really worn are baseball caps, and I've been wearing them most of my grown up life. The only thing that's changed is that I went from curved brims to flat brims. Then I went from snap backs to fitted then back to snap backs again. I think I own about 150 to 200 baseball caps now.

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    1. I knew that you had quite a collection of baseball caps, I have always worn mine with the brims curved just a little but lately have noticed a lot of people wearing them flat as you mentioned. I was wondering if you prefer wearing them with the brim facing forward, backward or either way depending on what you are doing?

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  19. Hats don't suit me. The only ones I wear are woolly when it's cold to keep my ears snug. I like yours though.

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    1. Thank you Liz, you are really smart to wear one in cold weather, your ears are always the first thing to get cold.

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  20. I’m a hat guy too. Even before my hair went south, I wore ball caps, cowboy hats, and fedoras. I bought a Panama Hat before I left the Canal Zone. I wore it for years before it finally died.
    I now have a straw hat I wear to keep sun off my head.
    I love ‘em.

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    1. Straw hats are the only way to go for protection from the sun Rick, and they look good too.

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