(EMC #31 — Something old)

Does anyone use overnight cases anymore? This bag belonged to my mother and came with us on every family vacation. Now I use it to store my fabric paints. I have not exactly been doing the Everyday Matters challenges per se, but if I draw something that fits one of them, I’ll make a note of it.

A lady at our church brought branches of bay leaves a couple of Sundays ago, grown by her neighbor in a greenhouse in his yard. I had never had fresh bay leaves and their scent is lovely and subtle, not like hit-you-over-the-head basil or oregano. I let my branch dry in the open air for about a week or so, then stripped off the leaves and put them into a bottle.

For me, travel is rarely more than a once- or twice-a-year thing. Like Christmas and Easter, a trip is something I look forward to, prepare for, and sometimes dread for weeks beforehand. Finally the big day is there—like the eve of a feast. Every detail of my life has been sewn up and I’m feeling great. After I get home from the trip, I don’t want to let go of it, like leaving the Christmas decorations up for weeks. This time, my suitcase sat in the living room for several days after it was empty. So, also with the idea that I should work more on perspective, I decided to draw it. After awhile, it was too hard to see the details because the suitcase is black, so I gave up on drawing the handles on the top. When I got to that point, I was able to put the suitcase away until next time.