SAVING RUBBER BANDS & BOBBIES

I put used bobbies back in their container.

Is it penny pinching, a form of cheapskatery? How did I get this habit? From saving the best for last on my plate? No. Sometimes, not often, but occasionally I eat dessert first, not last.

Is it because when I got back from life in Malibu (lived there when John was in TV's "Northern Exposure"), I couldn't find anything to wear in my NYC closet? Clothes fit, but they weren't my taste anymore. I threw out a ton of lovely things, including my "Russian Czarina's" black coat with a high collar, flared skirt. I still miss it, wish I had it back.

Is it because you don't throw out love letters, earrings, or gorgeous boots that hurt your feet? Is it because prices of everything are going up up up, and bobbie pins used to cost ...I don't remember, but certainly not what they cost now?

I'm thinking of the early versions of projects that I don't throw out, and tape recordings I labored over. I spliced out clicks from Mahler's Tenth -- it was background for my dance drama "Zinnia." I can't put the master tape or copies of it into a trash bag.

When necessity demands, I give myself a gold star for being a ruthless thrower-outer. But bobbie pins, rubber bands ... ?

I guess I don't throw them out because I'm a useful thing, and I don't want to get thrown out.