A Potpourri For Sunday

I bought myself a gift. Yeah, I know, I indulge myself shamelessly. So ... bite me! I stopped in a shop yesterday, one that carries all kinds of unusual stuff, including clothing that is off-beat, comfortable and fun. I bought a gauze shirt, one from India. It is so light and airy. I wore it around the house yesterday, and it felt wonderful. But that's not the gift.

As I left the shop I noticed something the shop owner had on the sidewalk. I apologize, in advance, for the next few pictures. For some reason, I couldn't get a good focus or get rid of glare. I finally chose the out-of-focus, because you could at least see something besides shiny spots.


The box .......















The thing (in its folded pose) .........













And unfolded .........

















Inside is the palate and a carrying strap. It is a French easel, one that fold down into a size that is manageable size so that I can tromp out into the wilderness, if I choose.











It was a bit pricey, but I know I will enjoy it in the near future. It will enable me to take my supplies and go where I need to paint or sketch. I'm so excited about it!!

I bought myself something else a couple days ago. My coffee table is small, but I just love it. (I bought it at a garage sale at Caroline's a couple years ago.) I have the top of it loaded with things, some of which will eventually move elsewhere, but for now, there is no room for the obligatory "coffee table books" or magazines, and there is not a shelf under the top. So I found and bought a huge basket to place underneath the table to hold books. Here is what it looks like:


The thing is that every time I leave the house and sometimes, just leave the room, I walk in and find Ali curled up in the basket! He jumps out quickly (he knows it isn't his bed!) so I haven't been able to have a picture of him there, but can't you picture him on top of that recreational atlas??








On to some pictures unrelated to my material self-indulgence .......




This tree has fascinated me since early spring. When it began to bud with green it caught my eye. It grows beside the road on a fairly significant slope, and it has conformed its shape to fit the terrain.







Yesterday, I took time to get out and wade through the roadside grass to snap it. Then I decided to catch a few other that have caught my eye, too.



Everything is SO green! We haven't had rain for over a week, but might get some today. In spite of the lack of rain, the beautiful emerald has sustained, as you see here. The peak in the background is Nogal Peak.









Y'all are going to think I like taking pictures of posts, but this is, as before with the yucca, to show you how tall part of the grass is. You may have to click to enlarge it to see that the grass is nearly as tall as the post. I'm guessing it is about three feet tall to the post's four feet.








This gully or arroyo in the foreground is not usually covered with grass. It is usually a dry gulch with just spotty growth. BTW, the village of Nogal (means "nut" in Spanish, but unclear whether it is walnut or pecan; I got walnut in the translator, but my DIL says it is pecan; I'll take her word, 'cause she is Mexican, and this is pecan country, too) used to be named "Dry Gulch."







These gorgeous flowers have fascinated me for a couple weeks now, and I just learned they are Red Hot Pokers. Cool name!!! They are very bright red, so the name is right on!






Now I need to get to unpacking boxes. I'm making tremendous progress, and can begin to see the possibility that I can put together my new grill and use it! Yay! I bought a propane grill, because using an open fire here isn't wise. I'm probably less than two or three miles from the national forest. Also, with propane, I can use the grill on the deck with relatively safety. It is grilling season, and I'm ready!

Happy Sunday, everyone, and have a super week ahead!