It says right on the sweatband, “Made Exclusively for DON ADKISSON, by Art Henderson” and on the other side, “Weather Hat Shop, July 4, 1974, Colo. Spgs, Colo”. Now how about that? It was made by hand by Art Henderson and it was a Pikes Peak Special Hat. The style is called “Black Mesa” and I guess I should wear it more often.
“And since then it’s varied endlessly in color, shape, and size
From the cow man’s ‘Open Road’, to the Nebraskans ‘Open Skies’
For each region has its own vogue, like the buckaroo’s flat brim
Or the ‘Oklahoma Sandy’, or the high ‘Montana Rim’
And the show ring has its favorites, as do those in rodeo
Though they change in shape and style as the fashions come and go.”
–Waddie Mitchell (quotations from Mitchell’s poem, “Lid”)
Now I’ve a few hats I’ve picked up over the years. I have a couple of Stetsons. One is black and is represented of the old Tom Mix; it was given to me by my youngest. The other came from my wife. It is a tarnished silverbelly and I first saw it up in Saratoga, WY. I have a Baily straw, which is nice, but I seldom wear straw. I even own one of those with the “Montana Rim” which some call a campaign hat. But my special one I have no clue the brand for it has long been gone. It’s worn, crusty, dirty and in some places stiff from sweat, weather, and such. I used it to fan a hundred fires, and it just fits all of the lumps on my head.
“Some folklore claims that villains all wear black while heroes white
But that’s just a bunch of bunkum and ain’t even close to right
And those gallons are another thing that’s simply just a myth
Cuz a good hat isn’t something that you water horses with
But it isn’t any folklore myth, as more than one dude knows,
If you mess around with someone’s hat, you risk a broken nose.”
Once I had me one of those comfortable hats; the type that fits just right. It was very similar to my work/camping/hunting hat and it was dear and near to me. I had it when I was a teen and took it to college with me. But one day, Annie and I were making our move to Florida and somewhere in West Virginia the thing blew out the window. It just couldn’t happen, so I pulled the car over and walked about a mile back to pick it up. Sure glad the wind wasn’t blowing.
“You will find a lot of uses when you wear one long enough
Like you’ll keep from getting sun stroked and a lot of other stuff
It will shield your head from hail and sleet which causes lot’s o’ pain
It will keep your soul from waterloggin’ when it starts to rain
It can cover up that nest of hair that you forgot to comb
Or will hide your baldness under it in town when on the roam.”
Back to my old hat. There have been numerous times and in sundry places that folks have offered to buy that hat right off my head. They say it has character (or maybe it is a character who is wearing it). I haven’t sold it, nor do I think I will. Sometimes I think that folks with me are some embarrassed when I wear it, but, well, it’s just like an ol’ friend. And it sort of protects my ponderings. That brings up the moral of the story. You need to ask yourself by what hat do folks know you? It may be battered and even torn, but is it a hat of righteousness or one that leads down to perdition?
Ira Paine
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” –James 1:12 (NIV)