A Letter From The Editor
Confessions of a Shopaholic / Closet Prepper
MAY 2018 PARKER COUNTY TODAY
4
It started when I was a very small child , watching reruns of “ Gilligan ’ s Island ” after school . I recall the precise moment when the thought occurred to me : “ Wow ! I wonder why Ginger and Mary Ann packed so much luggage for a three-hour tour ? Good thing they did .”
From that moment on , for any excursion , trip , vacation , convention , camping trip , canoe adventure or weekend getaway , I have overpacked . The men in my life never understood . Example :
Boyfriend : “ Why are you taking an evening gown and heels to canoe down the Colorado ?”
Me : “ In case I ’ m marooned on a desert island and we decide to throw a cocktail party where we serve banana cream pie .”
I recall going to New England for four nights after I discovered a $ 99-round trip that routed through Houston , as well as two other unmemorable airports . But , I couldn ’ t check my bags ( don ’ t ask ). But I was prepared ! I brought 18 outfits , all with different footwear ; some were boots ( they
needed to match ).
Boyfriend said , “ We are going for four nights . You packed for a month . What the …?” He said this as we raced through an airport in North Carolina to make our connecting flight . He carried 100 pounds of clothing and accessories for me ( seriously , what a guy !). He weighed 143 lbs .
“ I like to be prepared ,” I muttered lamely as he yelped in pain as one of my western boots gouged his thigh .
“ What was that ?” he groaned . “ Did you bring cutlery ?”
“ No , crazy ,” I said . “ That ’ s one of my brass-toed western boots .”
“ Western boots ? To wear in Boston ?” he said . It was obvious that he was getting a little grumpy . Travel seemed to always make him grumpy those days . Go figure . Of course , I was carrying his bag that weighed all of five pounds and held a pair of khakis , a pair of jeans , four changes of socks and underwear , four shirts and a cardigan , a khaki set of swim trunks that could double as shorts in a pinch .
The sweater was something that he brought at my insistence , then he accused me of wanting him to bring it in case I got cold .
“ Yes , western boots ,” I said with some defiance , then I edited my tone . “ I just thought maybe I might go horseback riding with your sister .”
“ She ’ s in Vermont ,” he said . “ We ’ re not going to Vermont .”
“ Well , you should have told me that before I packed my boots ,” I said .
For years I have carried an overnight bag in the trunk of my car . It ’ s packed with necessities like hair gel , curling iron , blow dryer , a spare little black dress and heels ( you never know when an emergency cocktail party or funeral might break out ), jeans and boots ( for an impromptu street dance ) and workout clothes ( for those last-minute body pump classes ).
Whenever someone suggests that I probably should take some of that stuff out of my trunk to make room for things like an emergency toolkit or First Aid kit , I picture Mary Ann and Ginger on that island , wearing the same old drab T-shirt and shorts , season after season , and I think , “ Nahhhhh .”
Thanks for reading .
Marsha Brown , Editor-in-Chief and Publisher , Parker County Today