The people at Tesoros Trading Company send out a little post card every year to those on its mailing list, offering a free miniature calendar for the year to come, knowing that, once in the store, nobody can possibly take just the gift and leave otherwise empty-handed.

No; I didn’t buy these wooden fruit-and-vegetable tree ornaments, complete with tiny rings and golden threads for hanging them, because I don’t really like to think of members of the vegetable kingdom as having eyes, but the person who did graciously permitted some of them to be scanned (shown at less than 50% of their true size). They’re very dimensional and expressive, each complete with a vaguely anthropomorphic profile that includes a stick-out nose.

Tesoros has continued to broaden its line of articles made from Mexican oilcloth. Originally, I believe there were just open-topped totes in two sizes. Now there are small messenger bags, various articles, zippered and not, that might be carried in a handbag, and even smallish curved-top zippered handbags with versatile sewn-on straps that permit hand- or shoulder-carrying. The book section continues to expand, and that’s where I succumbed to temptation. With some of the computer bad luck experienced lately, I’m very likely to return soon for a mousepad with the green-clad guardian angel that is a favorite work of Mexican calendar art.