Remember the show Let’s Make A Deal? Always at the end of the program Monty Hall would go out into the audience inquiring of women for something odd in their purses. While those possible contestants for the show probably stocked their purses with odd things hoping to win some money, I sometimes wonder at the things we carry in our purses, don’t you?

My stock of purses includes two plus my big black bag. One of the purses is my ‘going to church’ purse. It is small purse, just big enough to hold a pocket size of Kleenex, note pad and pen, a comb, peppermints and money for offering. That purse is nice looking, not shabby like my ‘going to town’ purse.

That is the purse that everyone looks in for adding coupons or getting money out for groceries. It also holds a pack Kleenex, a small Gideon style Bible, my billfold, license, a picture of my husband and me. Don’t you think that should work as another reference when you write out a check and they need ID?

But it is the big black bag that really is the one that holds all the things you would like to have along, but to carry a purse that weighs 10 or more pounds would result in “purse-itis. “

No doubt my dependence on this bag began when my children were little. The diaper bag went everywhere we went for years and years and more years.

I kinda got used to stuffing the diaper bag with things I liked to have along. The corduroy diaper bag has upgraded, replaced with an adult version.

This large black bag is probably bigger than the bag doctors used to take along when visiting patients.

The Little Golden Books like “The Poky Little Puppy” have been swapped out with other important books. There are usually two in there. One a serious read, the other some type of history book, usually a biography.

Other things are Wet Ones, eye glass cleaner packets, a comb, pens, finger nail clippers, dental floss – just boring stuff, but sure-hate-to-be-without stuff – a calculator, a well-worn map of Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota, the states we most often travel.

Food can be found in here, but instead of Cheerios and sippy cups, it is usually a Ziploc with almonds, hazelnuts and dried fruit. Sometimes a thermos of hot tea or water.

I do keep a stash of disposable glasses in the bag because of there are more than two of us it quite often makes more sense to pick up juice and sandwich fixings at a store as running through a drive-through.

No little matchbox cars or small dolls are needed to entertain small hands any more. They have been replaced with knitting needles and yarn.

When I’m just riding along, I sure don’t want to be guilty of idle hands. I may not know how we got where we got, but neither did I keep a check on the speedometer.

A clothbound folder holds the necessary paper for taking notes. It is easy to talk while driving, to make plans of things that need doing or want to do. It comes in handy to write down prices and other pertinent information if we are checking something out.

This is the go-to-place with receipts so they are easy to find later and for when doing necessary bookwork.

Travel light just doesn’t seem to work here.

Vander Schaaf is a Farm News staff writer from northwest Iowa. Reach her by e-mail at suncrest@netllcwb.net