My Mother-in-Law’s Mink

Mikki! Good On You!!

Fur goodness sake!!

Only Mikki! You made my day. Jeff

I think it was 1986 when New Orleans had an historic freeze during the holiday season. Back in the day almost all buildings, including multi-story commercial ones, had exterior pipes. On this day everything froze, including pipes & heating units. A few days later I drove my step-mom downtown to return something at Saks'. ALL of the sales people were wearing furs, one of which my step-mom recognized as hers. The salesperson said that ALL sales people were wearing furs from the vaults where customers kept their furs as it was far too cold to work otherwise. There was still no heating. My step-mom was somewhat taken aback but accommodating. On the way out she said, "I bet they thought we were all on a winter cruise or at a warm resort."

Paying it forward!

As a relative newlywed in the early 50's, my Mom gave my Dad's flight jacket away to the Goodwill. It was one of those fur-lined leather "bomber" jackets and I imagine that it was quite dear to him. It had kept him warm as he navigated bombing runs in his B-17 and literally kept him from freezing to death during the 7 months he spent in a German P.O.W. camp. I often wonder if it was an innocent mistake by her, or some early indication of passive aggressive tendencies.

I love this, but hopefully she won't be pelted with eggs by PETA for wearing fur pelts:(

That mink, actually numerous minks, deserves a decent burial. Regardless of it's age, wearing a dead animal is disgusting.

Your mother-in-law is smiling.....

That's absolutely fantastic.

The thing is that not only do you help someone by being generous and caring, but you also help yourself feel good about yourself. An act of kindness goes a long way and beats all the self-help books on the shelf.

Another thought: there are organizations that nurse animals back to health after injury or sickness that will use fur coats to ease their discomfort when they rest. Search "coats for cubs."

I love this - seems like it was meant for her.

I'm an impulsive person. Don't compare me to Trump boosting himself, but I really think in the exact same situation I'd have done the same thing. I never have yard sales. I donate everything to Goodwill (including good stuff that's worth moolah). P.S. I call what she did a "Beau Geste" which means gallant gesture (accordig to the movie anyway).

After our mother died, my sister and I were cleaning out her place. Oh, the fights over the stuff! “You take that”. “No, YOU take that”. I kept a few lamps and my sister kept two tables (“commodes,” mother had always called them.) Lucky for us, a cousin’s son was setting up his first apartment, and he took everything.

When my New Deal Socialist one-worlder mom died, among her many other material possessions, she left a blonde ankle-length mink coat. What the heck to do with it? One cold rainy day, my mom-in-law (who had a terrific sense of humor and of karma) and I wrapped it up carefully, took it down to Goodwill, deposited it in the clothing dumpster, and left feeling fine!

I can't help but wonder if the recipient of this gift was confronted or attacked for wearing fur.

A much appreciated tip, I'm sure.

A gift to a coatless stranger (or friend) is about the best thing you can do with a fur coat. At least then some good comes from all that suffering. I've just finished reading Linda Lear's excellent and exhaustive biography of Rachel Carson (author of Silent Spring). Many things in the bio struck me, but among them is that Carson was loved animals and among other acts, signed a petition (back when petitions weren't "on-line" and actually meant something) against leg-hold traps. But then, when her books became best-sellers and she achieved a measure of wealth, she treated herself to a full length mink coat with full collar. Proving, once again, that humans are beyond irrational in our attitudes towards our fellow beings.

When I was young in the '60s, I sewed some of my clothes. One dress I made was made of Madras plaid. My mother hated it 'cause the colors ran, so she gave it to Goodwill. Months later I was on a bus in the nearby city. A young black woman got on the bus and she was wearing my dress. It looked very good on her. I didn't say anything to her 'cause I didn't want to embarrass her knowing where she got it. I was very flattered that someone would buy a dress I made.

don't you just love it when it works out like that? such a neat fit of need and the ability to meet it. Plus, a mink coat! how totally fabulous! a great big slice of life in this little story.

This lovely story of a stranger's kindness brings to mind a coat my family once had, a heavy, well-made wool military coat that my father had when he was in the Marines in the late 1960s, and that was meant to be worn in wintertime over one's uniform. He hardly wore it after he left the service but steadfastly refused to part with it. It remained with him and, eventually, my mother as well, for decades. My mother finally got him to part with it by telling him that they needed to start getting rid of some of the stuff they no longer used or wanted, her theory being if that if they both God forbid got hit by a bus there would be no way I could clean out their house by myself. She suggested he donate the coat to a veterans' organization where it could perhaps be used by a homeless or in-need veteran. Despite decades in a closet, that Marine Corps coat was in excellent condition. She took a picture of my father wearing it before the donation - it still fit! - and we were all, including my father, gratified to know that the Marine Corps coat was once again doing its steadfast duty of keeping someone warm.

Thank you for sharing your story with us. Your kind act made me smile.

Back in the 1930s my grandmother gave an old hat to a local GoodWill type establishment in Roslyn on L.I. My Mom while walking home from school saw the hat in the window of their store and thinking her mother would like it purchased the same for a few pennies and surprised my grandmother with it that evening. This story has remained in my family for 80 plus years now.

For me the story brought up wonder about how the recipient felt about the gift. I hope she was blown away by the serendipity and kindness. I imagine her "dining out" on the story for years!

The hardest part of moving, downsizing, or clearing out a home is what to do with all the still usable stuff. I just can't bring myself to throw away things that are in good condition. I'd give it away, but almost all of it nobody wants, or they'll charge you a fortune just to cart it away, and then who knows if they'll just junk it anyway.

Thank you, Mikki. My reaction to your Diary entry was similar to commenter Jacki's (Las Vegas): It made her cry; it gave me a lump in my throat. Your Diary entry brought back some memories. Here are two dissimilar examples: (1) Two years ago, during one of Connecticut's winter cold snaps, my neighbor's pipes burst in his basement, ruining most of the clothes in the closet he had there. Among the casualties was his favorite winter coat, not a good thing to be without in January. I had an extra winter coat that I rarely wore, and I gave it to him. The smile on his face was payment enough! (2) A while ago, maybe 25 years ago, I needed a bookcase for my overflow of books. A friend of mine, who had recently retired, was getting rid of a lot of her stuff. She had a sturdy (but cheaply made) bookcase, built from scraps of lumber. I fully expected her to give it to me. After all, she was probably going to put it on the curb. But no, she wanted $35 for it! I needed it so badly that I bought it. (I know, I was a sucker.) I still have it, and I still use it, and I still think about the $35. The good news is that it will outlast me. :)

My mother-in-law once gave me a mink one that no longer fit her. I've never worn it. Perhaps a gift to a homeless person would be appropriate. Thank you for helping me think of the obvious.

This made me cry. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.