The Totebag
Today a round, spry, smiling little old lady wandered into the office. She had a totebag over her arm, and when I asked if I could help her, she sped toward my desk where my co-worker and I stood. Reaching into her tote, she produced about six more totes of various designs.
Her name was Lucille. She was married for 32 years, was in the upholstery business with her husband until he passed. Now, her daughter orders canvas for her & she apparently sits in front of her heavy-duty sewing machine, a leftover from the business, and stitches these totebags and sells them out of her home. She said the bank tellers were her best customers. Then, she proceeded with a very well-presented spiel about the bags & their various zippered compartments (an attached coinpurse "which the ladies like", a deep zippered front pocket as well as a smaller zipped pocket inside the bag). Usually $32, today, since she had extras, $15 including tax.
Needless to say, Co-worker & I both ended up with a totebag. Hers, a busy Vegas-themed one, mine, a rather neutral safari motif. I don't even carry totebags, nor have I ever thought I should. Nonetheless, it is under my desk in all it's handcrafted splendour, waiting for me to fill it with... what? How much stuff do I really need to bring to work? It's bad enough I got into the purse-carrying jag, which was very against my nature, a couple years ago, and have found it's really handy to lug around my cards, Swiss army knife & notepad as well as my endless scraps of paper, but a totebag? I just can't imagine that I need to drag that much around. If I do, I need to get a grip and pare down. And it seems a shame to not use it, or to use it for fishing, since that's the only time I find I really need a bag to carry my extra lures & worms & beer & wiperag since my cargo pockets can't usually fit the worms & beer at the same time. I guess I'll have to find a use for it. One that keeps it clean. Or at least as clean as I'm able to keep things. I give it a week at most before a cat yaks on it or I spill beer on it or I just drop it into a puddle.
What this really goes to show is that I'm a sucker for old people. The word is out, now they'll all be climbing the stairs with their wares and sad stories!
Her name was Lucille. She was married for 32 years, was in the upholstery business with her husband until he passed. Now, her daughter orders canvas for her & she apparently sits in front of her heavy-duty sewing machine, a leftover from the business, and stitches these totebags and sells them out of her home. She said the bank tellers were her best customers. Then, she proceeded with a very well-presented spiel about the bags & their various zippered compartments (an attached coinpurse "which the ladies like", a deep zippered front pocket as well as a smaller zipped pocket inside the bag). Usually $32, today, since she had extras, $15 including tax.
Needless to say, Co-worker & I both ended up with a totebag. Hers, a busy Vegas-themed one, mine, a rather neutral safari motif. I don't even carry totebags, nor have I ever thought I should. Nonetheless, it is under my desk in all it's handcrafted splendour, waiting for me to fill it with... what? How much stuff do I really need to bring to work? It's bad enough I got into the purse-carrying jag, which was very against my nature, a couple years ago, and have found it's really handy to lug around my cards, Swiss army knife & notepad as well as my endless scraps of paper, but a totebag? I just can't imagine that I need to drag that much around. If I do, I need to get a grip and pare down. And it seems a shame to not use it, or to use it for fishing, since that's the only time I find I really need a bag to carry my extra lures & worms & beer & wiperag since my cargo pockets can't usually fit the worms & beer at the same time. I guess I'll have to find a use for it. One that keeps it clean. Or at least as clean as I'm able to keep things. I give it a week at most before a cat yaks on it or I spill beer on it or I just drop it into a puddle.
What this really goes to show is that I'm a sucker for old people. The word is out, now they'll all be climbing the stairs with their wares and sad stories!
posted by RCSure | 10:53 AM
3 Comments:
Under that much pressure, I too would have caved and bought a tote bag.
It could hold clothes for a weekend in the south!
It definitely could! But I already have a handy-dandy, decrepit backpack for that.... now I just have another bag with some blurry African wildlife on it!
We're getting the rest of the parts (we hope) for the car tomorrow. I'll have to see how this all pans out.... But, it's HOT down in your neck of the woods now! Hot hot! My DNA doesn't allow me to tolerate that sort of heat! :)
Fsskkk. It'll be cooler by then and there is a cool, refreshing pool to loaf in.
Hehehe. Perhaps the fall or spring would be better for you, being the delicate flower that you are.
Grin
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