My Olivia Hat

My Olivia Hat

I think for everyone to truly understand this post I have to do a bit of back tracking in my history. I hope you enjoy this story of this well loved hat.

In 1973 I was 3 years old. I lived in the suburbs of Dayton Ohio. A very long way from the mountains of Pennsylvania of which I love very much.

My Parents tried to get us "home" to the mountains as often as they could.

This was home

My Grandparents lived here. My Aunt, Uncle, Cousins. Family. Everyone was always around. Family dinners. Big bedrooms upstairs. Quilts. Homemade bread. A dirt Driveway. White farm house, cows, pigs, barn, creek, MOUNTAINS. The whole mountain just past the barn was OURS.

Going to PA was referred to by my mother as "going home". But a trip in the summer for 2 weeks and a few days over Christmas vacation, did not satisfy my craving for "home"


So At this point everyone should understand why when "The Walton's" was released in 1973. Why it felt like home to me. Because other than the time era, this was what I thought home was.

Olivia was THE Character. She was a great Mom. Not that my mom wasn't great. She was. But some how Olivia seemed special to me. At the young age I was why shouldn't she be? She wore this hat. It had a flower on it. none of my hats had a flower. She only wore this hat when she went out. It was "For Special"

I don't know who bought me my Olivia hat. It wasnt a special hat. Just some crocheted hat, not overly heavy, not to be worn in the snow, it simply wasn't warm enough for that. But to keep away the earaches on a windy fall day it was perfect.

I don't know where it came from. But I do remember very clearly the moment it's name came to me. It has that flower. The Walton's had been on the night before, and mom popped my new hat on my head and told me "it is windy, you need a hat" and I saw that flower. She put it over my left ear. I said "Mommy it has a flower like Olivia's!" Thus the name was born. forever more it was to be known as "Krista's Olivia hat"

I went everywhere with it. I looked forward to Fall because it was then cool enough to wear it. Winter was always a drag because I had to put it away.

We all moved out to PA in 1981. My hat came with us. I was 11 now but still my love of my Olivia hat lived on. Because now my hat was as special as Olivia's hat was. I only got to wear it on certain windy fall days. Usually on the trip to get pine out of the woods to decorate for winter.

When I moved out after high-school My Olivia hat stayed with Mom. Tucked away in the drawer with the other hats. I moved back to the farm in 1998. I needed to be "home".

That first fall I went with Mom to once again Gather Pine. It was a warm day but a cool breeze was blowing. I wished aloud that I had a hat to wear. Mom whipped out my Olivia hat and offered it to me just as she had that first time. Popping it on my head like a was 4.

Once again all was right in my world. and my Olivia hat came home to live with me that day.

This summer my Olivia hat has gotten a lot of wear. Popping it on my head feels like a welcome friend. I have many other hats but this one is just right to wear in the AC. or when a fan is just to breezy. I still feel that same glee when I put it on that I had a 4. It may be ratty, and I wont wear it to Wal-mart. But wearing it makes me realize that even though things may be a bit rough, I can get though it like they did on "the Walton's". Maybe not in a hour, but through it none the less.