Bag It

      More Letters From Paradise
               Bag It

"Do you have your bag?" the pretty young clerk behind the counter asked. "No," I replied, "I forgot." I went on to explain that my wife had even hung a paper bag on our door, to remind us. I looked over my purchases. A six-pack of beer, a small can of jalapeño peppers, two bunches of green onions, a can of pinto beans (they were out of black-eye peas), and a head of iceberg lettuce. The lettuce was to be used to provide crunch in a roast beef sandwich to be made later. Everything else but the beer would be added to the other stuff I already had, to be made into Texas caviar.

What was I to do? I saw that I could carry the beer in my left hand, no problem there. The jalapeño peppers would fit in the right side pocket of my shorts, the two bunches of green onions I could stuff in left side pocket. It would look pretty silly but what the hell. I could tuck the head of lettuce under my right arm and carry the can of pinto beans in my right hand. I thought I could manage alright. Then a voice on the other side of the counter invaded my thoughts "I could put it in a paper bag." I was saved. "Thank you very much," I replied. I swiped my credit card, took my receipt, and slunk out the door like a dog with its tail down.  

The island of Oahu where we live is the last of the islands that make up our state, to ban the use of plastic bags. One by one the other islands some time ago put the ban into effect. Even sleepy Molokai, the most Hawaiian of all the islands, three years ago put the  ban in place. Merchants here on Oahu fought the ban saying it would cost them money to do so. Anyway, the ban is here to stay, effective July lst. It is a very good thing as fish and other wildlife were being harmed.

This got me to thinking of back in the day when there were no plastic bags, only paper ones. We got along just fine. I worked as a kid at the local A&P Supermarket, and packed and carried many a paper bag to customers' cars.

Teena and I have a great number of sturdy bags, both cloth and plastic. Some of them in our car, ready to be put into use. Somehow we will manage to survive.

       Aloha
       Grant