Last month, or maybe the month before that, there was a morning that I needed to stop into Trader Joe’s for a couple of items. There are two Trader Joe’s in my neighborhood—two! One is a half mile farther away from home and has a smaller parking lot, so I chose the closer one, forgetting that it opens an hour later than the other. As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed about two dozen or so people in line to get in. This seemed strange for a random morning in the middle of the week. I looked at the dashboard clock; it would be 10 minutes until opening. I started contemplating driving over to the next TJ’s when it occurred to me: there must be a new tote bag drop!

I really didn’t need a new tote bag, but I thought I’d check out what all the fuss was about. I told myself I’d only stay in line if it went quickly. And it did. One of the crew members informed everyone waiting that each person could only purchase four tote bags, one of each color. The family in front of me had already anticipated this and planned for each person to get their own allowance. Hmmm…four. That would be the perfect number for each of the members of the BABs (bad-a** b******). I could try out my new embroidery skills and personalize a tote for each of the women in this group. I was committed now.

Two friendly and efficient crew members had groups of four ready for each person and I scored the coveted totes with ease. The next challenge was the personalization project. What could I sew onto these bags that would have some meaning? What could I sew, period?

These women are all retired teachers that I worked with. Many years ago, we started regular dates for each of our birthdays and more. During the COVID lockdown, we started meeting at the park for lunch, each of us sitting in our chair separated by the suggested 6 feet. While I had to return to in-person work, the other women, being retired, kept the weekly lunches going with their chairs now cozily close together under our tree. I join when my schedule allows.

Our tree! That was the answer. It took some time because I’m very skilled at procrastination, but I finally finished them.

What will the next project be?