island living

Ah yes, island living, Minnesota style. Here I am out for a stroll on Pikes Island in the Mississippi River on New Year's Day 2010. Since the wind chill was well below zero, this jaunt was well planned and outfitted. Allow me to describe the style I adopted for this occasion, working from the outside in. Oversized acrylic hat keeps beans much larger than mine warm without itching. Our dog took a liking to the fleece-lined leather chopper mitts once, so they're a little chewed but still toasty effective. As long as you never have to make a pincer or in fact do anything with your digits aside from hanging there, as I am so aptly demonstrating. Meet my ugly friend, Big Teal. It's essentially a down comforter with sleeves. Holding off up-drafts, snowpants for big people, lined with fleece. Canadian-made mukluks are faux fur outside and in. That way I don't have to worry that baby seals were brutally clubbed to death to make my boots. Also I don't have to worry that anyone will stop me and say, "I like your boots."
The next layer consists of Smartwool socks so thick they stand, walk and talk by themselves, cotton leggings, a cotton and linen Geoffrey Beene pleated skirt (even in the depths of winter I like to honor summer), bulky cotton turtleneck sweater and glove liners under the mitts. Assorted smalls, strictly decorative, do not count toward retention of body heat. Shortly after this snapshot was taken, I had to pee.