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This sounds like a game I used to play - What would I take with me if I were a pioneer woman heading west and had only my covered wagon? (And, of course, a couple of saddle bags on the animals!) I just lately became aware of my own theme of travel and bags as I've begun putting my first journal online. The url is "freewritestation." The journal name is "dufflebag." But I didn't even see the connection until a friend pointed it out. I was just picking words from a pile of words I had made for our journaling group. On my site I put a page called "What's in the dufflebag?" At first this site was only known by my family and a few friends and not one person GOT that you could email "something" to me to put in the dufflebag. None of them are interested in online journals really, nor are they familiar with interactive things like this. I was delighted to see your question and page - and thinking of my disappointment when no one responded to mine, I wanted to be sure and send a message to you with the contents of my bags. What a treat to read all of the entries you're gathering. I haven't bought a purse since last year when I found the perfect little shoulder bag at the Gap. But your entries set up the urge again, and two days ago I bought a small and slender black shoulder bag for $7 at K-Mart. The Gap bag is taupe. I have to have a long strap now exclusively to cross over my shoulder since I sometimes use a cane or crutches and/or carry a baby. Now I'm always on the lookout for the perfect bag that has lots of compartments but won't get bulky! Contents: Wallet - ($4.27, checkbook & Pentel R.S.V.P. Fine Point Pen, driver's license and organ donor card, MAC and Visa cards, Giant Eagle grocery card, At&T calling card, my own and my son's library cards, card for my mother's home library, medical cards, Lane Bryant card, AAA card (29 years of membership!), local cafe coffee card, B. Dalton card, Hallmark Gold Crown card, Subway card. Notebook - a black 5x7 6-ring I put together myself because none of the ones you can buy suit me. It's an address book, calendar, pages of lists combined. Tin pillbox - aspirin, allergy med, St. John's Wort, 800mg Motrins for arthritic knee (I love this little pillbox given to me by a friend 20 years ago - the cover was once a "Peter Rabbit at the gate" picture now almost totally scraped away) (it's a box within a bag!) Embroidered bag - nail file, extra car and house keys, Kaopectate tablets, a Kotex Light Days liner, hair elastics and clips (since my bangs are growing out and aren't quite long enough to tuck behind my ears.)
Attached to the zipper tab is a fema bead disk made by a friend. In the circle are seven more circles - the images are a fairy godmother, the palm of a brown hand with a red heart in it, a pink and yellow sunflower, a sky/moon/stars scene, a pensive blond girl, and two mosaic flowers. Yes, I also carry a black backpack with usually a book (Songs in Ordinary Time), a magazine (Ms., Time, The Sun), my journal, a water bottle, more pens, candy (Mentos or Hershey Symphony Bars with Almonds & Toffee Chips), a CD or tape (Car Wheels On A Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams), a brown cordoroy ballcap, gloves. And now, since I'm often caring for my 7-month grandson Gus, there are baby wipes, diapers and a bottle! My mother is a purse-nut just like us! She buys really nice expensive (but simple and pouchy) leather bags that smell wonderful. She takes really good care of them, but she also tires of them quickly. So then she gives them to me! Aren't I lucky? Only once have we bought bags together. We were in Seattle for the first time for my brother's wedding. He took us to the public market and we found gorgeous homemade brown leather bags. She bought the medium size - I bought the smaller one and still it was the most I'd ever paid for a purse. I will never get rid of it even though I use it rarely because one whiff/one touch and I have that whole wonderful week back. Thank you for this chance to talk about my "stuff"!
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