I have heard that if you want to de-clutter and simplify your life, you should only buy or possess things that either are supremely beautiful or unquestioningly useful.

But what if you want something just because it is neither possesses great beauty or promises utility but you just can’t stand how cute it is, and you want to protect it from the landfill? Or you want to pretend that you are the kind of person who walks around with supplies for every possible contingency?

I found this rain purse this week at the bins — I knew I would find something interesting in the bin because I found a bunch of older items that had probably not sold at an estate sale and ended up amidst handwritten recipe cards (most of which had gotten damp and were nearly illegible), dingy Tupperware and tangles of old ribbon (none of which grabbed me). And then I saw her.

Standing just over an inch high (and barely that much wider), she was in pristine shape and apparently had never been opened; a quick peek inside proved that a bonnet indeed awaited inside. She looks like something a Barbie would carry around, but I would imagine it was something a woman would carry around in her handbag in the event that inclement weather threatened her ‘do.

I had to wonder. Did she buy it in a store or did her hairdresser slip it to her after a long appointment on one particularly blustery and rainy day? As it still appears to be factory-fresh and still unused, how many years was she waiting for that one special time to use it and never did– thirty, forty, or  more?

If anyone knows anything more about approximate age or providence of this piece, I would be thrilled to learn more. In the meantime, I will hold on to it for safekeeping — a girl should always be prepared for anything.