Tuesday's Treasures & Things

Welcome Lori Skoog, a new follower of my blog. I have followed Lori's blog for a while and know that she also has a Swedish heritage. 

Thank you for all your comments -- I'm so glad you liked my Swedish Christmas tales. Part 4 will come soon. You are right that my recollections are vivid and I think that was something really good that my parents did. If I had had children, much of that would have been passed on to them. 

Today's treasures don't belong to me, they are just here, all around for me to enjoy.

Looking out my window on Christmas Day, I saw this cloud and realized that to the southeast the sky was blue with just a few clouds but on the northwest side of our house dark clouds were gathering. Since the rains, I see green grass here that I never knew existed. 

Good friends are such treasures. Rachael came for Christmas dinner and our friend, Bob, joined us as well. 

Rachael is one of the most generous people I know. I got so many wonderful gifts that I will enjoy for a long time to come, including one of my most favorite movies, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. A film one can enjoy over and over again. The necklace I'm wearing was a present from another friend, Judy. It's from Chico's made for a benefit for St. Jude's Children's Hospital that Judy supports. And, how cool is this, it's actually a magnifying glass. Old ladies like me need those.

Then I put the camera away and never took a picture of the gorgeous dinner my husband cooked for us. I'm truly sorry because it was a feast to behold and the table looked so lovely. My husband is my treasure for sure. 

Another treasure is the wildlife around here. Yesterday, I had just started the car when I noticed movement in the grass to the north. This bobcat came out from behind a juniper tree and slowly walked through the tall grass. He knew I was there, but he wasn't about to look scared. I jumped out of the car and got this photo as he stopped and turned around to check me out.

This is the same photo before I enlarged it. You may recall I talked about accidental pictures in my post about our visit to the Buddhist temple. This is another example -- the branches framing the cat.  

Then I dropped off a Christmas present for another friend, who is also a neighbor here. Like Rachael, she is someone who just steps up and helps when you need it. As some of you know, I've had a year of injuries, first from a fall and then from a car crash – so this person is someone I truly treasure.

On my way there I drove past the upper portions of our land. It's in the foreground of this photo and reaches down to the fields below.

Then I went to town for a blood test at our local lab. After that I drove around a bit until it was time to see the chiropractor. Since I had my camera, I took a few pictures. This one faces east.

And this faces west. The mountains, fields, clouds and the big western sky here are also treasures for me to enjoy. So, as it turns out, my treasures don't all sit in my china cabinet, they are all around me. 

When I came back home, the bobcat sat on our road. Wow, he was beautiful and so big. He took a look at my car and decided it may be best to take off -- of course not at full speed, but at a good trot through the fields. As I sat there and watched him disappear among the bushes, I felt so blessed.