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Solstice musings
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| June 20th was our summer solstice, the year's longest day. From
now on we begin our inexorable slide into dreary winter darkness. So,
make hay while the sun shines. Practically all of our holidays have
been commercialized and made trite, but we don't have an annual day
given over exclusively to flowers and gardening. Don't get me wrong --I'm
by no means advocating such a thing. However, it is true that nearly all of
us regard flowers as lovely, and we prize home-grown produce,
attractive gardens, and the cheer engendered by such things. |
| If you want to make someone a gift, you can hardly go wrong
by choosing a bouquet. Whether the cause is celebratory or consolatory,
a bouquet can be ideal. You can choose from a delightful array of
options along the floral theme. I'm sounding like Martha Stewart here, but
my favorite is home-grown flowers, wild or nurtured, arranged prettily in
an appropriate vase, and hand delivered. Failing that, purchased flowers,
or even floral cards are better than nothing. I usually draw my own
sketches, and color them, rather than buying cards. Making one's own cards
is more personal, but of course, less glamorous and can be
misinterpreted. A professional artist could make a painting of a weed look
enchanting, while one such as I could, with my limited artistic skill, render ugly
the world's finest flower. But people know it's the thought that counts. In
my case, too, I always accompany my crude drawings with more or less
of sweet or saucy (always sincere) verbiage. After all, we must all express
our feelings in our own ways. Moreover, we must act out our convictions. |
Folks often ask "what kind of tree should I plant?" And I invariably
try to get them to articulate their sentiments as to texture, color,
seasonal effects, size, and the like. In any given site dozens of different kinds
of trees can thrive, so the best question is not what tree would I plant,
but what tree would you prefer? When people are clueless, I fish out
their inner hunches, or alert them to possibilities they'd not considered,
such as the potency of fragrance, or the desirability of not inflicting on
Seattle yet another purpleleaf plum tree.
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(originally written for, but not published in, The Seattle Weekly, June 1996)
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