Hats for Tipping

While reading back through the blurbs I have written over the last weeks to accompany my Blips, I noticed that a fair amount of hat-tipping has been done in various directions. One cannot live with the vagaries of New England weather without owning - and wearing - a lot of different hats. It comes as a natural consequence of having had a good education, courtesy of the Christian Brothers, that one has to tip the hat of the day as a matter of common politeness. This practice, by the way, is in no way akin to the state pastime down in Texas of "cow tipping": no hats were hurt while being tipped! My favorites depicted in the Blip are first the fine Borsalino fedora for spring days when the wind isn't blowing, and second, the Italian lambskin cap (with the fur on the inside) for everyday winter cold. If we are talking about Arctic Vortex conditions then I must reach for the "Mad Bomber" with fold-down ear flaps. The fur, I understand, once belonged to a bunny... The black Gortex "Seattle Sombrero" is just a necessity for pouring rain. It always makes me think of those single-minded Jesuits off to convert Indians in the Amazon Jungle. And how could one live in the US and not wear a baseball cap in summer, preferably following the local custom of wearing the peak facing backwards?!