The Story of the Fuzzy Red Blankets

These blankets could never be purchased at any store. They are handmade 33 year old blankets. With a story.

Two furry red blankets were made by The Woman's Mom as Christmas presents for The Woman and her sister. They are hemmed fuzzy red cloth but who would have guessed the travels that these blankets witnessed.

The Woman and her sister on Christmas Day in 1975 each received a fuzzy red blanket as a Christmas present. The Woman instantly fell in love with hers, turning the fur inside rather than outside so that she could enjoy its warmth rather than look. The Woman has never enjoyed cloth sheets, but rather preferred the feel of fur, flannel or wool while sleeping during winter nights, even in Arizona. Before she left for Alaska in 1982, the sister parted with her red blanket and both traveled their way north.

At one point, The Woman was living in a small cabin, warmed by a wood stove and a small black cat and with the two furry blankets and the addition of a quilt, slept through several cold winters. Cats always loved the fuzzy red blankets. They were perfect for burrowing and purring. The Woman would wrap herself in one as she moved about the house; and in the summer, just let them lie at the foot of the bed in case a sudden cold spell arose.

The blankets then traveled to Europe and ever remained The Women's snuggle. Many a night she would lay out one blanket below and the other on top, and fall asleep reading, with one or two cats snuggled in closely.

The blankets then traveled to Connecticut in 1998.

They began to show their age, with worn patches of fuzzy fur missing, and the smell of cats. huskies, and wood stoves embedded into their fibers. No longer were they sleeping material but merely wrap around material as flannel replaced their furriness, and they did not fit a queen sized bed.

Then arrived The Shiba. The Shiba who enjoys luxury, organic foods, and comfort. As winter approached, one of the red fuzzy blankets became his.

Later, both became his. One by a heater, the other within his crate. They were his wintertime bedding. And this pleased him greatly.

This year, Belle claimed one of the blankets as hers and now each crate has a red fuzzy blanket for Shiba snuggling. It is not uncommon for us to drag our blankets out and then bring it back in, rearranging it to our liking. It is not uncommon for The Woman to wash our blankets and pull all the fur and red fuzzies out of her dryer for at least a week after. New Land's End blankets were purchased for heater resting and chair relaxation but neither are as good as the soft fuzzy red blankets that The Woman's Mother made so many years ago.

These are Honorable Blankets, made by our Women's Mother, and now given to us as gifts for warmth in the winter. The Woman was amazed when she sat down and thought about how old these blankets were, and how they have been a part of her life for so long.

But to Shibas? They are a necessity. Comfort from the cold. Easily Arrangeable. And both fit perfectly inside our crates.

It was one gift of many so long ago. Who would have guessed that this gift of would have traveled so far or lasted so long or given joy to so many?

Never underestimate the power of what is but a simple gesture to last for many years after.




I Am Shiba. I Still Want Breakfast in Bed.

P.S. That is Belle in the Blanket Below, not Me. She loves hers as much as I love mine.