A Mountain of Gems on Thanksgiving

Happy late Thanksgiving!  Thursday morning I reminisced about the things for which I am thankful.  I supposed that I am luckier than most in this world.  I looked at Kino's sweet adoring face, his cute cinnamon eyebrows and bright smile always there to cheer me up on the worst of days.   It's been a tough year for him, yet he carries on, stubbornly.  Through the years I think sometimes I carried him but mostly he carried me.   It was now my turn.

I carried him out to the car for an adventure up Mount Lemmon to see the remnants of the first snow, which had fallen last week.   Now that walking is such a struggle for him he loves these trips, even if he is inside the car most of the time.   He also loves the 70's and 80's rock which I play and sing to on the way up.  He is the only one who doesn't mind my singing in the car.  Mrs. S. concludes that it means his hearing is much worse than we thought.  Luckily you, the reader, were spared the video I took of us,  singing to "Wild Thing,"  on the radio as Kino smiled (then hid) in the back seat.   Thank Mrs. S for that save.  


They seemed to be playing rock songs relevant to the two of us the whole way up.  When James Taylor sang "You've got a Friend," it seemed to be a special dedication to our years together.  When we neared the top I parked and I carried Kino to a nice bed of pine needles to lay in, surrounded by snow.  Some dream of a sitting on thrones, but I would find it so uncomfortable.  Give me a seat cushion of sweet smelling pine needles in a conifer forest with the sounds of nuthatches, chickadees, and kinglets around me.  That's my heaven.  

On the way home Kino opted to lay down, his head leaning against my winter shirt.  He was exhausted from the day's excitement but very content.  I knew I would look back on this day as a special time for us, and time can be a luxury when in short supply.   These memories are wealth I seek, for they carry the most value over time.  They are the buried treasure hidden right before our eyes, if we can only open them to see it.    

Such loving eyes!

Here are some other gems collected on Thanksgiving Day for my jewelry box of treasured memories. 

I saw eyes of pure gold,

I beheld the brilliance of turquoise and saphire,

Rubies could be seen dazzling in the sunlight, 

and a table full of rich, delicious vegetarian dishes fit for kings and queens, 

Dishes shown sinclude stuffed pumpkin, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli casserole.  Not shown include croissants, world famous cheese ball and crackers, and delicious cranberry bread, and heavenly deviled eggs.

I feasted in the company of trusting family and friends of royal and colorful character.  We ate, and laughed, and shared our lives, triumphs and struggles in confidence with our trusted companions.  We left with satisfied stomachs and rekindled souls.  
I am thankful for the wealth I have been given in the form of family, friends and companion animals.  I am also thankful for the gift of sharing this beautiful world with so many other remarkably interesting and intelligent inhabitants, who peacefully share our space on this planet. Thank you for appreciating this life and all it inhabitants.

   

Sawbill Surprise and Mountain drive with "the guy."

Red-breasted Merganser females

Red-breasted Merganser females

Life has kept me busy these past few weeks so it was nice to get out for an hour or so this morning before Kino's vet appointment.  At the lake things seemed unexciting, so I turned toward the car for a jaunt to Woodland.  Two waterfowl flew just over my head and landed on the lake I had just turned from.   I did not recognize them in flight so fixated the scope on their lean figures.  The long, thin bill, light brown head with a shaggy crest, and lack of contrast between the light chin and fore-neck identified them as the rarest merganser to be found in our area, the Red-breasted Merganser.  This merganser is typically found wintering in the ocean, not desert lakes.   The serrated edges to its long thin bill help it to hold on to its prey which consists mostly of fish.  This rarity showed up when I least expected it, a common phenomenom. 



A buddy biscuit was enough incentive to get Kino up, which is surprising since usually by 11:00 he's sawing logs and immovable.  As I watched him in the car he seemed so happy to be out that I took some pics before we left the car.   It was then that I first thought we could take a drive afterwards up Mount Lemmon.

On the way up we made short stops, and, though Kino was interested in the smells of pine and Juniper, was also content to stay in the car.   It wasn't until we reached the very top that I was able to carry him around and show him some of the magnificent views.








On the way back he sat up and watched the scenery, including a few turkeys crossing the road.  We logged another sunset and enjoyed another day together in this beautiful place.   Thank you for appreciating our wild and not so wild companion animals.