Jacket Season

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It's that time of year when I start wearing my jean jacket. I put it on first thing in the morning and take it off at bedtime.

Jacket weather is my favorite season of the year. Denim is comfortable. It's heavy enough to keep me warm in the fifty degrees outdoors and light enough I'm not uncomfortable wearing it in the house. A denim jacket is as much a sign of Fall as the leaves turning color, pumpkin spice everything and chrysanthemums blooming in the flower bed.

Soon it will be time to trade my sneakers for my Cat boots.They're pull on, high-top leather boots with thick treads on the soles. And I'll start wearing boot socks--thick warm, comfy boot socks.

I wore jeans all summer. Out here in the woods there are scratching hazards everywhere. Even with the long pants, I still get plenty of cuts and scrapes.

I'll start wearing my cowboy hat all the time, too. I wear it in the summer when I'm working outdoors, but after only a short while, it gets too hot and sweaty and I take it off. I have what I call my old farmer hat that has a flat brim and provides better protection from the sun and it's better ventilated. I wear that when I out for long periods. In this jacket weather I can wear my cowboy hat all day long.

In a month or so it will be time to put on my Carhartt coat. It's also extremely comfortable, and it's warm. It's made of a sort of tan canvas and has a thick lining. It also has a hood. I've never worn the hoods on my coats because they're clumsy and block my peripheral vision. I don't have that problem with the Carhartt hood and it keeps my ears warm.

It's also that time of year when we start spending evenings out around the fire ring, just watching the flames dance and enjoying the beauty of the night.

Stephen P.

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