63 - MY STRAW HAT

MY STRAW HAT

21 x 28 ¾ inches

(My childhood straw hat)

This is the straw hat I wore as a little girl. Mom sewed a black shoelace inside so it could withstand the gusty Nebraska winds and stay on my head.

Mother had very specific and proper ideas about her daughters’ appearance. Wearing hats to protect our femininity was a tradition she learned from her mother. Grandma Weitzenkamp stressed the importance of not looking too tan in order to maintain an appearance of delicacy and femininity. Besides, if girls looked too tan, it would mean they had done heavy work in the field—very unacceptable in our proper farm family.

After starting college, I did everything possible to get a tan. Independent thinking sometimes erroneously erodes well-founded traditional lessons. My wrinkles now mock my independent streak.

Most often, tradition has good, solid reasoning—we need to pay respectful attention and discern with wisdom.