Did you get a Dirt Bag for Christmas? Because I did, and that itself was the first conversation about this sack. Why, for instance did my best friend send me the Dirt Bag? "Because you're the only person that wouldn't get offended if I called them a dirt bag! And it's sooo cool," Susan explained.

She's right. I don't get offended very easily and the bag is quite clever. Its hearty burlap exterior is lined with an impervious blue tarp. I can use it in the garden but I love it so much I've been using it as my grocery tote. Today at Trader Joe's a man went out of his way to tell me a dirt bag joke.

Q: What's the difference between a Hoover and a Harley-Davidson?

A: The location of the dirt bag.