While my family was very poor when I was growing up, I seldom felt the pinch of poverty. For one thing, the county I lived in was one of the poorest in the nation so a lot of people were poor. Even with the casinos that have opened since then, a quarter of the population still lives below the poverty level. Poverty is relative, so with so many other people being in the same boat, it was just the way things were.

My parents made a comfortable life for us despite poverty with hunting, gardening, fishing and making everything from soap to candles to clothing. Nearly everything was hand made   – even my hockey sticks and skis. And my winter coats.

In fifth grade my mom made me a hooded winter parka with fake fur that she bought at a garage sale. Now I suppose if it had been white it would have been different, but it was brown. So, in all honesty, it did make me look a bit like a teddy bear. Still, I loved it until I wore it to school the first time and one of my classmates started to call me Grizzly. I literally kicked her in the ass – the only time in my life that I recall resorting to violence. Unlike Dolly Parton in her classic song, The Coat of Many Colors, I did not continue to love my coat, recognizing the love with which it was made. I hated that coat with every fiber of my being.  But just because I hated it did not mean I had a choice about wearing it. There was no money for a new coat simply because I hated the one I had. That coat was one of the first times I realized how poverty limits one’s choices.

Since then, I have coveted coats and jackets far more than is sensible. I have more coats than anyone needs and have indulged this love for coats and jackets to the ultimate degree in Second Life. When I moved to Oregon, I kept my Minnesota winter coats for years before giving them to Goodwill. It never got cold enough to justify those coats, but the idea of giving them away was so hard to encompass. That grey wool pinstripe was so chic and glorious – as far away from my childhood parka that it was painful to give it away.

However, I can indulge my fascination with coats and jackets without guilt or anxiety in Second Life. I can wear frivolous coats and have coats in several colors. There’s no need for choosing practical colors that go with everything and I can indulge in something so lovely and particular as this navy and cerise coat. I love its modern style, its utter impracticality and self-indulgence. A perfect antidote to my coat fixation.

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****SHOPPING LIST******

• Poses: Adorkable
• Skin: -Glam Affair – Kaelyn skin – America 04 E
• Eyes: [UMEBOSHI] Eon eyes Duo Green (med)
• Lashes: Lelutka
• Mani/Pedi: SLink Mesh Hands & Feet with FLAIR mani applier
• Hair: Truth Felicity
• Clothing: [ SAKIDE ] See-through Ribbed Shirt
• *VoguE* Ginna Winter Coat (Mesh)
• Mag<3.B  pattern70’s Pants Jam
• Shoes: Baiastice Lotus Pumps – Dots
• Jewelry: Zaara ZC : Anaya Onyx Earrings *silver*