It’s not my bag, man!
Those of you who spend time watching TV will no doubt recognize the Buxton Organizer.
My sainted Motherinlaw, God Rest her soul, I never had the opportunity to meet. But I know a few things about her.
My fatherinlaw was the Mail Order King.
When he passed, we had cases and cases of mail order pens, pencils, notepads, clocks, desk sets, yadda yadda, that were all personalized. “Best Wishes Bill” they said, or “Say no to drugs, Say Yes to Life”.
He loved the stuff.
He also loved his wife. So much so, that seeing her favorite old purse become tattered and torn, he bought her a mail order TV special purse, the day’s equivalent of the Buxton Organizer. IN fact, he got her one in each color, so she’d have one to wear for every occasion. What woman could resist!!
Yes, it had the key holder. THe matching checkbook caddy. The plastic lined area for spare clkothing, if required. So many wonderful features! In stylish leatherene! And just to show everyone how proud she was, he had them all MONOGRAMMED WITH HER FULL NAME.
God love her, she loved him so much that she never told him. She carried these huge hideous obscene purses all over hell and creation, proudly displaying them to everyone as hers, and wincing in embarrasment at being seen with the vile contraptions.
As Westley said: This is true love – you think this happens every day?
That’s a damn good woman to put up with that nonsense.
Kelly would’ve shove one of those bags right up my ass.
Mail order swag. My mother bought enough of that kind of mail order personalized bric a brac too, but kept it in line. I remember the Spencer’s catalog with all of the stupid kitch it had – stupid even to an 8 year old. Her sister got her on the health pills kick, so one whole kitchen cabinet was filled with bottles of every vitamin with or without a letter from Richard’s Vitamins. Of course, the Mother of all Mail Order was the Wisconsin Cheeseman. They all passed those lousy cheese samplers and fruitcakes back and forth with reckless abandon.
Then the 1970’s ended and she enjoyed a full recovery.
At least my mother knew it for what it was, and didn’t try to impose her mail order oddities on my father. God bless your mother in law. She took it all with a grain of salt and humored his expression of love, knowing he was doing his best in his own way.
what a beautiful spin on ugly baggage. true love endures all things. nicely told.