Why We're Here...

I've been away awhile, and by that I mean from ikebana. It's been winter and in Central Oregon the flowers and flora burrow deep and slumber. Further, I was busy with work, with family, with travel and commitments large and small. My calendar was full.

Then came COVID. There...I've said it. You came to this blog for ikebana but you found that blasted thing again. Maybe you typed in keys words -- ikebana or Japanese flower arrangement -- or were on some email list, but you arrived looking for ikebana. Coronavirus? No, thank you!

But wait....

We can't focus. We're alone or perhaps stuffed into a household on a continuous loop with people we never imagined getting to know so well. Kids are home from school. There are no play dates or summer camps, no piano lessons. We're out of work and worried about money. There are no conferences or dental appointments.

But don't go....

I'm here because I love ikebana. Maybe you do too.

Today, for me, ikebana means picking up a few blooms on my bi-monthly trip to TJs, while impatiently awaiting the lilacs and dogwood outside. (Talk about watching a pot that never boils...try standing in front of your favorite tree!)

Luckily many flowers that last the longest cost the least -- alstroemeria, chrysanthemum, carnation, gladioli. I place them in a vase on my dining table where I will see them often throughout the day. They make me smile. I need that.

Then, on my daily, socially distant walk, I snip a branch or two off a forsythia that somehow has found root off an empty parking lot.

Eventually, this happens.

Over the next few posts let's deconstruct the arrangement. We'll learn about the floral elements, examine the nageire style and the structure required to support branches and stems. I'll explain where I thought I was headed. Whether or not I arrived? You be the judge.

Perhaps you'll give it a try. Maybe you'll make something similar or poles apart. Doesn't matter. We're in this together. Let's make some ikebana.