Generous Gifts

I am very fortunate to have been given two beautiful gifts. Both of them are bags.

The first is a small bag with hand embroidery. Isn't it charming?

 Front

 Back
(I am so glad the birds have escaped their tiny cage!)

 Detail of the fine embroidery


The other bag is a simple shopping tote.
White cotton fabric has been dyed with onion skins into a warm mustard colour.
The print is hand stamped - probably with a hand carved stamp of either rubber or potato.

Together with a diploma it was given to one of my family members as a reward from the Town Council. Why?
His dentist had reported to them that, at the age of 80, he still had 31 of his own teeth - no caps, bridges or implants.
The bag came with a list of other citizens over the age of 80 who had most of their teeth in tact. One of them was 95 and had all 32 teeth. I wonder what she was given as a reward?!

This list was surprisingly short, and to me this proves that the Japanese on average have bad teeth, or have let the dentist alter their teeth for various reasons.
I know one girl who was encouraged to remove two absolutely healthy, but slightly crooked, front teeth for porcelain implants, before her wedding. 'You want to have a beautiful smile on your wedding day, don't you? was the sales point.
Poor girl, she won't be given a nice onion-skinned dyed tote bag when she is 80!

Now I am left with a dilemma. If I carry this bag around in our neighborhood people will think I have good teeth, which is nice, and true!, but will they also think I am over 80?
I am 'young' enough to wear out this bag before I turn 80, so I hope I will be given one of my own when I reach the right age!