The snow jacket incident

Ahh winter! Frosty mornings in the crisp clean air and brisk afternoons in the crisp clean air. And of course freezing cold nights that I'm assuming also contain crisp, clean air, although I wouldn't know for sure cause it's too damn cold out there to find out!

Deb and I decided we needed to get out-of-town for the next few days, and instead of going to Figi or Maui, we've decided to go to an even colder place than our own backyard, Tahoe! Deb has never seen snow (I blended up some ice cubes once and threw a ball of it at her, but it's just not the same, still fun though). Last year deb found a hotel in Tahoe called 968 park hotel. She did a google search of "eco hotels" and 968parkhotel was one of the first to show up. This eco hotel had been completely remodeled from the ground up, using recycled lumber, zero v.o.c (volatile organic compounds) paint, organic bedding of wool and natural latex and organic cotton. All that hippy stuff that keeps us safe and cancer-free and with plasma screen tv's and indoor sauna and spa.

We went up late last year after most of the snow had already melted. Our stay was great, but Deb still didn't get a real snowball thrown at her and I was determined to make her wish come true (I'm an awesome husband).

So last week we booked a few days, made arrangements for Ella to stay at her mother Alycia's and we found out our good friends Daniel and Angelica were going up to go skiing the same time we were. They were even staying across the street from us (I'll need to make more snowballs).

But it's like winter-winter up there right now. We're talking freezing, 10 feet of snow, birds falling frozen to the ground kind of winter. And we're just a couple of spoiled wine country folk, who haven't really needed to purchase big, waterproof, insulated jackets.

"oh no" I screamed out loud into a silent and empty kitchen. "We don't have time to find winter jackets made in the USA, we're leaving in three days". I kept screaming out into the kitchen hoping if I did so loud enough, god would finally hear me and send down a couple of hefty snow jackets. He didn't, but I kept screaming anyway. And on side note, god has never answered a prayer of mine, I'm really starting to wonder he even exists.

We had two options. One, we could go to the ski/snowboard shop here in Santa Rosa and rent winter gear. I decided to go this route first, for I'm sure we could get more modern looking gear than we would if we went with the second option (thrift stores). I went down to the shop and priced out the rentals. Over a hundred bucks this lapse-in-planning was going to cost us. "screw that!" I screamed out loud into the kitchen of my empty home, after returning from the ski shop.

Ok, option deuce, here we go. Now, we have many great thrift stores here in Sonoma County, I've been stealing from them consistently for over a decade. I justify my theft with this logic "they get it for free, so should we". Thrift stores, to me, should really just be like online dating services for naked people who want to hook-up with used clothing. I should really only have to pay a onetime membership fee of say, $10, then I should be able to come in anytime and find a new outfit or picture frame or taxidermied rabbit, and not have to pay for it. I guess "society" hasn't evolved to my completely solid logic, yet. So until then I suppose this is just shop lifting.

Jesus, why did I get off point here? I did not mean for that tangent to be a confession.

I like thrift stores, I like not spending so much on clothes, and I like the idea of taking things that would have been tossed into our overflowing waste stream and giving them a continued life. We recycle bottles and cans and plastic, why not clothes.

There are 7 major thrift stores within 25 miles of one another here in Sonoma County. Sonoma County is also fairly well-to-do, what with all the rich yuppie wine people here. I'm sure I'll be able to find a couple snow jackets in pretty good shape, for far less money than I would have spent renting them. So I'm off!

Deb's jacket I found right away. A three toned (purple, blue and pink) Columbia snow jacket, with fleece liner. No stains or rips and maybe from 2003 or newer (1997, but don't tell Deb). It was a whole whopping $6.99!! Three stores down, 1 jacket found, 4 stores left, 1 jacket to go. Then it hit me "what about snow pants?". Luckily I had been offered a pair to borrow, from Daniel and Angelica, because I was planning on doing some snowboarding. But Deb, she's tall, and unless I find three foot tall insulated moccasins, she's going to need snow pants.

4 stores left, 1 jacket and one pair of snow pants to go.

Fast-forward to no stores left, 1 pair of extra tall snow pants found ($4.99 and practically brand new) and still lacking 1 snow jacket for yours truly.

I lived in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada for about ten years, from age 6 to 16. We lived in Foresthill, which is east of Auburn Ca, just off I-80 south of Tahoe about 100 miles or so. In the winter in Foresthill it did snow. One year we got 4 feet of snow and a nice two weeks off of school. My parents were idiots though and never put a lot of thought into ensuring their two children were adequately dressed for those snowy winters. I have pictures of myself as a child, playing in the snow in converse high-tops, acid wash Bugle Boy jeans and a sweater. I guess they thought hypothermia would only set in if it was our time to go, and until god took us home, he would use his super-powers and protect us from the elements with an invisible force-field.

Granted hypothermia never did set in, so I suppose god is real!

Anyway, I'm not a dumb, numb, ten year old anymore and I'm not going up to the snow for three days without a snow jacket! If I had thought just a week or so ahead about this snow gear thing, I could have easily found a snow jacket made in America from one of these great websites.

buyamerican.com
stillmadeinusa.com
howtobuyamerican.com

These websites will link you to hundreds of companies still making things in the United States. The work these folks have done in connecting all of us to these companies through their websites, is amazing! Thank you to them.

But of course I didn't think about this winter gear situation in time to connect to any of these companies and since I can't just mindlessly impulse buy like I used to (cause I have a conscience now) my only option is second hand or rental.

It was looking like rental and 45 bucks until Deb and I tried one last thrift store about 5 miles north of home. Score! I found a black and purple Columbia snow jacket in great condition, no liner or hood, but I could layer and as long as I had a water proof shell, I'd be warm enough.

Total cost for winter gear= $19.00!

Total cost in gas driving to thrift stores= $5.00 (Prius)

Total cost of getting to throw a real snow ball into the face of my wife, who is appropriately dressed for winter snow conditions= Priceless

Thrift stores are always an option over buying things new, that are made overseas. Not only do you remove something from the waste stream, thus making our world a cleaner place to live, but you save money. When you buy something new from a store, they have to replace that item by ordering another. That means shipping it across the ocean, which means more pollution from fuel not-to-mention that you're adding another future item to the waste stream. If you can't find the thing you're looking for made in America, go to craigslist or ebay or a local thrift store first, and try to find the item gently used.

I'll update this blog with a photo of Deb after being hit with a snow ball, as soon as I hit her with one.