On winter coats...

The dreary weather we had been having lately had got me in the proper mood to start thinking about winter coats and how I needed a new one. Last year's winter coat, which was thick and warm and let no cold wind through, had gotten too big on me because of my weight loss. If I wore it, I looked like a skinny bear in his over sized fur coat.

Because it was still the beginning of the season, I thought I might find a good deal if I started looking now and I went on line to my favorite store where there is the biggest selection of clothes to choose from and where the service is very good. 

I had to decide what sort of a coat I wanted and I thought a parka might be best because it would be warmest and also be handy when I rode my bike. A regular winter coat may have been more stylish, but not half as practical and I would have had to worry about being warm enough under all circumstances. 

I soon found one that was nice looking and had all the requirements I was looking for. It was lined and had a hood and big pockets and a zipper and snaps. I needed the big pockets to carry my keys and mobile phone and baggies in when I walked the dog. Also to put my gloves in when for some reason I was temporarily not wearing them. 

As parkas go, it was an attractive coat and not merely because the model who was wearing it in the picture was. The price was very nice too and that was important too me. 

I had to decide which size to get, but I knew that clothes from that particular brand had a tendency to run on the small side, so I ordered it one size bigger than I normally would have.

Then I had to wait for it to arrive and in the meantime I kept my fingers crossed and hoped that I would like it as much as I thought I did. 

On the day it arrived, I couldn't wait to open the package. The dog wanted to help me tear it open because he thinks every package is for him. It took some doing to open it neatly and keep it intact as much as possible in case there was anything wrong with the parka and I had to return it. 

I pulled it out and it looked okay. I put it on over the two layers of clothes that I was wearing that day because it was a cold day. It seemed to fit, but I still had to close the zipper. Much to my relief, this went without a hitch and the parka fit me as if it was made for me without any excess inches to spare. 

I went to look in the full length mirror and saw that it had a very flattering cut which made me look skinny. It was also very snug and warm. Now I couldn't wait for it to become wintertime so I would be able to wear it, though I supposed that autumn would be alright too, as long as it was cold enough.

I very reluctantly took it off and hung it on the coat rack because it wasn't the right time to wear it and it hasn't been yet. As a matter of fact, today it's going to be 82F degrees and I'll be skimpily dressed. It's not going to be very cold in the coming week either, so that parka will stay on the coat rack. 

I can't actually wish for cold weather when we've had so little nice weather simply because I've got a good winter coat now. That would be awfully shortsighted. I'm sure I would tire of the cold soon enough and start complaining about it. But it's nice to know that I'm well prepared.

Ciao,

Nora