sourwood honey

Greetings Jerry,

Sitting here on a Saturday, sipping on a cup of coffee and you floated through my mind.

First and most importantly, I pray you're well and the "holiday" season is filled with warmth and love for you.

This past year I purchased three jackets from you: one liner (black-L1), one hooded Supplex (black-L3) and a Barren Ground parka (Ducksback OD-L6). I also scored an insulated poncho. I've not had occasion yet to wear the parka, though we are coming into that realm here in the mountains of far eastern Tennessee. I have used the poncho on a chilly damp hike and was quite pleased with the performance and the ability to significantly regulate temperature given its construction.

As I mentioned, I've not used the Barren Ground parka just yet, I have however used the liner and the hooded jacket.

I really enjoy wearing these. They are definitely warm and comfortable. I really love how light weight they are for how much warmth is retained by them.

I wish the parka had a hood as I think it would extend its serviceability in particularly inclement weather (snow/rain). That said, I look forward to exercising its warmth this winter. I've no doubt paired with the liner and/or the hooded jacket, the parka by itself or paired will far and away exceed anything I've ever worn or owned.

I know you'll recall the coats branded as Mighty Mac. My parents bought these for us when my brothers and I were children. I've had down coats, overcoats, and the like over the years. When I learned to layer clothing, I did so.

My recollection of these garments leaves me feeling cold to this day as I was cold at the time. Waiting for the bus to go to school bundled up in a down coat never felt warm. As a younger adult, one very cold night, wearing a bulky down coat, walking through lower Manhattan was a bone chilling experience: one I do not relish experiencing again.

Given my recent experience with the light weight, Lamilite filed liner and hooded jacket, I've no doubt being cold as I recall will be a thing of the past.

Thank you for sharing your experiences and insights in your emails and for staying the course in producing truly functional, warm, high performing garments and sleeping bags (I own one of these as well.)

Blessings from Sourwood Honey Territory,

Carl

Carl has sent me some sourwood honey, best in the USA as far as I am concerned. Only available in eastern TN, western N.C and VA.

His story is as good as it gets for me at holiday time.

I remember the Mighty Mac Company very well. They were in Glouster MA. They were the best maker of men’s and boys’ outerwear in the country. I guess as good as they were their down jackets weren’t so good. I did visit them and tried to sell them the original Lamilite obviously with no success. Having heard their name today brings back pleasant memories of going to Glouster, a beautiful town on the MA. coast.

The holiday season is very kind to Wiggy’s so we may be slow getting out the garments being ordered. Sleeping bags are never a problem.

I did read that I believe late January postage rates will be increasing and I expect Federal Express and UPS will follow suit. If this does happen Wiggy’s will have to also increase prices accordingly. Our product by themselves will not increase but the cost increase would be for postage, seems to me that these companies should be lowering their rates or not increasing them at all.

As readers know in September 2019 after I was diagnosed with the cancer, which may be gone from my body, my PSA has been undetectable for 4 years. Anyway, I had a shingle attack on my head. My scalp became so sensitive that I shaved my head, and you can see where I went from a full head of hair to bald in the videos.

Well as the shingle attack has been healing, I guess I decided to let my hair grow back. To my surprise I have gone from straight as straw hair all my life to wavy hair. It may also have come back thicker. I will have to have a picture or two taken and put them in the newsletter soon.

I had to find a barber because I hadn’t been to one since early 2019.

The barber as it turns out is probably the best one in G.J., a friend told me about him.

Aside from the good news I keep getting from my oncologist I believe I have healed completely from the stroke. The downer is I keep getting older, 83 soon so with all the good healing there isn’t much I can do, except type.