Category: To Occupy my Time

It was April, 2001. I began my stint as a summer park ranger on the Boston Harbor Islands and realized I was completely without a backpack to carry five days worth of clothes, books and food to the island. Roommate Felicia took me to Target where I bought this guy for something like $35.00. It was worth every penny. This backpack was much like Mary Poppins’ carpetbag in that I could keep putting things into it even though it seemed full. After my short career as a park ranger ended, this backpack went to Hungary and Romania twice and was fabulous for my walks to the grocery store. The checkers were sometimes amazed I didn’t need additional bags. When Matt took over the grocery shopping, he used it too.
In the end, two things landed this in the donation pile. The strap, which I bought black duct tape specifically to repair, sometimes made me feel like a scroungy person. Also, lifestyle changes (I ride my bike to the store now, and the bike setup means I don’t need a huge backpack and Matt is getting a car) mean that its large size works against it. I’ve acquired another backpack (from Matt? Aunt Carol? I’m not sure) which is of normal size and it gets used more often than this one. It absolutely killed me to donate this, but I can’t hold onto every unused thing I’m attached to, or this house will fill up with detritus. So I bid it a very sad farewell.

I was in Portland for Christmas in 1997 and I convinced my mother that I needed reusable shopping bags beause the plastic bags from ‘Friendly” Findleys in South Boston were piling up in my apartment. We were at Kienow’s and she bought me four of their shopping bags.* The one pictured is my second-to-last, I have one lone survivor. We shall see how long the handles hold out on that one. And yes, I could fix that handle on this one, but I’m winnowing my bag collection.

During my three days of librarian school in Boston, I was waiting in line and carrying one of these bags and the woman behind me recognized the Kienow’s name asked if I was from Portland. It turned out she went to Gresham High School and we had a lovely chat. Today, that same Kienow’s location is a New Seasons, but I will always remember running over there to pick up some milk for my grandmother. I sometimes wonder where that Gresham High School turned Librarian is today.

*side note: I remember these bags costing something like $4.95 apiece. That seems crazy now that you can buy Fred Meyer reusable bags for $0.89. Of course, I think the canvas shopping bags are much nicer, but still. Demand in action! Economics, baby!

For years–and we’re talking 5+ here–I’ve been using these red stretchy gloves when I ride my bike. They are the kind that you can buy at Fred Meyer for $1.00 at Christmas and they are synthetic and most likely made in China, etc. But this pair had lost their stretchy characteristic, which made them very handy for biking, as I usually am pulling my gloves off and on while the wheels are going round and round. It involves steering with one hand and teeth to get them on and off, and the lack of stretch was perfect.

Their lack of stretch was one of the signs of their age. They also had holes all over them. I had to make sure to put the right one on the right hand, or the holes would let in the cold air. Today, when performing the steering with one hand teeth grabbing maneuver, one of the gloves dropped to the ground. I gave a movie worthy cry of anguish, but didn’t stop the bike and backtrack to rescue the glove. I just let it go. It was time to move on to another pair of gloves.