old hat, new hat

Most ladies who attend the Traditional Latin Mass wear a head covering such as a hat or lace veil. From our first visit to St. Benedict's I resented wearing a bit o' lace on my head. I had 3, then 4, then 5 children to keep quiet and attentive at Mass, and with mothering duty it would constantly slide off even using industrial strength bobby pins. After a while I switched to square silk scarves tied under the chin, but with both I just felt silly, not pious. After reading about why women were encouraged to wear them I did as the Romans did and even kept the basket in the vestibule stocked with homemade lace circles (and bobby pins) for visitors or forgetful parishioners.

After reading some Catholic blog a month about the history of headcoverings, I learned that most British and American Catholics before Vatican II didn't wear veils, but hats to Mass. Off I trooped to Sears and Macy's where I found two lovely numbers, a red felt for winter and a white straw for summer. However, this morning when I went into the closet to pick out a blouse and skirt I was drawn to a taupe linen skirt with embroidered flowers and a short sleeved lilac cotton blouse with taupe sandals.

Neither hat would do.

I did recall seeing some old straw hats in the dress up bin so I imitated one of my favorite children's literature characters, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. "She wears felt hats which the children poke and twist into witches' and pirates' hats and she does not mind at all. Sunday mornings she takes one of the hats off the closet shelf, gives it a few thumps, pulls it firmly down fore and aft and wears it to church." A good thump certainly put my hat to rights and with a dash of lipstick I have to say I looked pretty glamorous, not the least like Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.