I finally pulled the Carhartt out of the closet today.  I had been waiting to do so for as long as possible (and, let's be honest, specifically long enough to allow for a special "Joys of November" blog post about this cherished item from my winter wardrobe)... but today felt like the right day to break it out.  The spring jacket that I had been wearing seemed to grow thinner and thinner each day.  And this morning, when it came time to take the kids to school, the fog was thick and chilly.  After briefly considering the question of whether today should be the day or not, I put on the Carhartt -- and I was ready to go.

I spent 715 words last fall, declaring the wonder and joy of my Carhartt jacket -- so I won't risk boring my audience with a renumeration of the same old material.  But I will say this:  I like my Carhartt jacket very much.  It felt very warm and familiar.  It was a great joy to suddenly have old clothes (or coats) become new again each year.  And it's a joy that I think I will now reserve for November every year.

Wearing such iconic Midwestern American apparel also felt appropriate considering the fact that the eyes of the world are on America (and once again particularly on "the battleground state of Ohio") this day:  Election Day 2008.  I can imagine hundreds of farmers and factory workers tugging on their own Carhartt jackets and traveling to the polls today in places like Bowling Green, Bucyrus,  Sandusky, Shelby, and Toledo.  The farmers (representing perhaps the most conservative profession in the world), of course, voting for McCain -- and the factory workers (a unionized voting bloc) voting for Obama... It's kind of funny to think in these stereotypes, but it's not too far from the truth.

It's an image that warms me, like the Carhartt wrapped around my chest, and an image that makes me think of home.