September 15, 2021. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Treasures.

Every home holds treasures, mostly valuable only to the owner. One such treasure in my home rests on the buffet in the dining room. No one notices it but to me, it is a beautiful treasure. My brother Dave brought me this small wooden tray from Japan. By itself it is lovely and for quite a while I used the wooden tray at home in Martland and used it for entertaining. Years ago, I brought it to Nova Scotia and elevated its status from holding cheese and crackers. I started collecting little stones and shells and tuned it into a type of Japanese garden. At one end can be seen several small pretty stones. In the center is a perfect sand dollar alongside a round white shell. At the far end is a larger flat stone holding a few very small stones. And in the bottom left corner can ve seen tiny shells. The scene pleases me and I like looking at my Japanese garden. Most Japanese gardens are sparse so I started out with just a few of everything but over the years, additional pieces have been added to the collection. No one tells me when these folks add to my collection. Every so often, I remove objects bcause I wish the tray not to be crowded. But piece by piece, the tray gets crowded again. Clearly, more people than me are paying attention to my little treasure. This wood tray with its stones and shells are not a bit valuable but to me, it is a treasure.