heartsprout!: moving, and moving on

ok, ok, i admit. this is a little weird. but, i sort of just have to work through this here. we've whittled our belongings down to a pretty spiffy little pile. moving is a great opportunity to survey the accoutrements of one's life and assess what is important, and what is superfluous. and i realized, of course, that i've been hanging on to some frivolous stuff of various variety.

retired

one category of my purge has been clothing. this is one arena of my life where i've long been a zealous utilitarian. clothes (and more importantly, shoes) just really need to work. i admit that style and aesthetics do enter the equation when choosing a new (by new i mean used) garment of clothing. but paramount to any final decision in adding a new piece to my wardrobe is function. is it made well? will it withstand a little abuse, some climbing on and around various urban and/or rural objects? can i bike in it?

in my ambitions to clothe myself in functional attire, i came across/modified one particular article that stands out as emblematic of what i aspire for in an ideal piece of clothing.

the cargo-camo-cut-off. start with a pair of army surplus camouflage pants, used is preferable as long as they're not too worn. cutting off the lower portion of the legs creates the ideal cross between bike-friendliness, warmth, knee protection, coolth, and low-water wade-ability.

the cargo pockets come in handy for me on occasions so numerous, i can hardly begin to name them. hats, scarfs, bottles, headlamps, sandwiches, small animals, contraband, you name it. plus they're down low and out of the way so i end up carrying my keys and cell phone in the lower pockets to keep them off my thighs.

i also added some custom options of my own:

- two pencil sleeves to the outside and below the right knee, with a reinforced stitch at the openings.

- a double belt loop closely spaced just to the back of the ride side, call it three-thirty, to stay my leatherman pouch from sliding around on my belt.

- i sewed a horizontal "change-break" in my right pocket to keep change from falling out with i'm reclining or laying down. it worked some of the time, but i still would lose change from time to time.

these puppies have lasted me for several years, serving as my full-time everyday pant for most of that time. they've been hopping freight, several times. they've hiked, camped, tree-climbed, rock-climbed. they've protested and been to jail with me. they've traveled countless miles via bicycle. they've hitchhiked cross-country. they've explored countless abandoned buildings. they've played. they've worked. they've discovered. they've sheltered, protected and warmed.

and so, you see, that is why it was such a bittersweet parting when i finally decided to retire them. the rear had been patched, reinforced, then patched again. and it had gotten to the point where there just wasn't sufficient material to properly attach new cloth to. and while holes in my trousers don't really bother me all that much, they do cause a body to stand out more than perhaps one might always be interested in.