Good Things, Edwardian Style

It was a Memorial Day weekend afternoon, and we were headed out to get sandwiches and eat them in the park. For once, it occurred to me in advance that the ground might still be wet from recent days of rain. Carrying along an entire blanket sounded too cumbersome though - this was just supposed to be sandwiches in the park, not a big picnic production.

And then it came to me in a flash of inspiration. Not something I'd read in Martha Stewart Living, but a line of dialogue from "A Room With a View":

Observe my foresight. I never venture forth without my Mackintosh squares. At any time, one may have to sit on damp ground or cold marble.

That Eleanor Lavish, always prepared! A few remnants of oilcloth stood in for the Mackintosh (rubberized cloth), and were swiftly cut into squares and tucked neatly into my bag. The perfect solution to the problem of Soggy Park-Butt ... provided you can get past the dorkiness of sitting on bottom-tailored squares of bright red strawberry-printed plastic.