from my mental list of observations

Never, in my 23 years on this earth, have I ever seen so many fur coats in one place. In fact, in the course of my life I don't think I've even cumulatively seen so many as I have the last couple months here in Espana's capital. Don't get me wrong, I don't really have a ideological problem with using animals' fur for warmth...I mean come on, that's how the human race survived before things like cotton, lycra, polyester, etc made their grand appearance(s) on the market and in our closets. Man, more than likely, would not have made it to the 21st century had it not been for the consumption of animal products and use of their hides. So eat meat (even though I don't like it... but I do lurrrrve the chicken). Wear fur (even though it's not for me). In doing so we're just following in the footsteps of our instinctive pre-historic ancestors.

Never-the-less, as it is with pig products (who wants ham? anyone? pigs feet? this kind of ham? that kind of ham? hanging ham? what? you don't like ham???), Madrid is, in my humblest of opinions, excessively infested by fur coats (someone told me it's more so in this district of Madrid.... but since I live in this district and this is what I see all the time, I am generalizing it to all of Madrid. Leave me alone, I'm just another ignorant American and don't know any better). I began noticing the trend back in ohhh, October or November with the first "chilly" days. Chilly meaning I was wearing more than a t-shirt. But out came the animals from their summer-long hibernation in storage. And these coats aren't kiddin' around either. It actually looks like middle-aged women in Madrid have been targetted, preyed upon, and then finally swallowed..... by a herd of giant, steroid-popping gerbils. All semblances of a human shape are all but lost: you can see what appears to be a head sticking out of the top and then if you're lucky two little high-heeled-feet sticking out of the bottom. But between those extremes is just a whole lot of furry critter.

All I can say is that I hope PETA doesn't use any of their funds to try to launch an anti-fur movement around these parts because they're going to find themselves extremely overwhelmed, outnumbered... and probably eaten by gerbils.