I live in Seattle. It really doesn't get that cold here. Senior year of high school my winter coat was a heavy flannel shirt. I was grunge before it existed. But really, when it stays in the 40's most of the winter, you shouldn't need the type of coat I bought when I lived in Minnesota.

I went to grad school in Minnesota where they have great big winters, and I had a great big winter coat. Combined with long underwear and wool sweaters it did the job. I'm not sure why I didn't get rid of my Minnesota coat when I moved back to Seattle fifteen years ago. I can be thrifty. I did occasionally take it on trips back east, but mostly it hung out in the back of the closet. I remembered it as bulky, hard to zip, and ugly.

I'm still in Seattle. It's still technically not that cold, but I'm cold. Standing around the play ground while David plays, I am really too cold in my 15 year old REI rain jacket. So, I started looking for a new winter coat. This one the pockets were wrong. That one was too long. That one was too tight. They were all too expensive. That's when I decided to give my Minnesota coat another try.

I've been wearing it every day for three weeks. The zipper is still a pain in the neck. I would not want to try to do great feats of agility in it. I frankly look ridiculous, like I just walked out of the Minnesota back woods, but I am warm. Delightfully, gleefully warm.