My Favorite Bouquet
Leave it to little kids to truly understand the import of a holiday – and there’s not usually any candy involved with this one! Maybe it’s the sneaky factor. Pick a posy – knock on the door – run away…hee, hee, hee.
This is my favorite bouquet of this entire year and its not even mine.
I know it’s early; the roses haven’t even begun to blossom here in our chilly PNW. Poppies, lilies, and ornamental sages are still just incipient clumps of foliage, although they seem to double in size every few days with our warming temperatures and longer days. The lilacs and mock oranges are budding up nicely; hydrangeas still look a little scrawny after this cold spring. I know in a few weeks I’ll be able to gather flowers with abandon every day. Ornamental onions, astrantia, iris and lavender; tiny little nosegays of primrose, columbine, lady’s mantle and that May Day stalwart, lily of the valley. It will be an embarrassment of floral riches…and yet it won’t make my heart sing like these glittery, tin can, homemade blossoms.
Anyone who has a child in a school that raises funds by means of an auction knows the dreaded fear of the “classroom project.” No pressure kids but you need to make something so adorable that your parents will be compelled to shell out big bucks to prove their love for you, thus saving your fragile ego, and oh yeah, help fund school projects. All in a competitive environment where your efforts will no doubt be weighed against those of other classrooms. Lord help the parent with more than one child in the same school. Don’t even THINK about not bidding on both projects.
Parents, I know these are tough times economically, but do you really want to risk your young child’s psyche if you show up at home empty handed? And, if you don’t pony up the funds, you can kiss goodbye any sort of “enrichment” program like music, art, dance or pencils and paper!!! It’s not a pretty picture but tremendous thanks are due to those hardworking volunteers who mount these excruciating – I mean ambitious, fund-raising events. I digress…
This is my darling niece. E. attends a local parochial school; she’s in kindergarten this year and growing so quickly. Small private schools rely heavily on the community of parents, teachers and administration, and in this case the local Catholic parish, to provide kids with a good education. In other words, fund raising auctions are a given. My SIL, (brave woman) volunteered to coordinate E’s classroom project; Auntie (that’s me) agreed to help out. I do love a good art project with glitter, glue and sharp sissors.
Our folk art inspired, tin can flower bouquets, sparkling with “diamonds” and other “jewels”, were a big hit; and yes, E’s mom bought one for big bucks. But the real treat was our time together spent with other parents around the kitchen table, cutting cans, wiring and glueing, laughing, talking and making a huge mess. SIL made the trip into the classroom to coordinate the kids contribution (did I mention she’s a brave woman?); I’m afraid my commitment doesn’t go that far. A roomful of kindergarteners with glue, glitter and glee makes me shake just thinking about it!
But I wouldn’t trade my cutting, gluing, wiring and messing for all the long stemmed roses in the world. This is really and truly the best bouquet I’m likely to “get” this year.
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Aw, so sweet of you to help out! Our auction is tomorrow and I am skipping it this year. Just kind of inundated with fundraising stuff, plus it’s my dang birthday! I spend a lot of time at school, donated, etc. so I hope my kid will not be too upset that we are not going to be owning either of her class’s projects, which are indeed pretty cool, as are your lovely year-round-fun bouquets! Happy Friday!
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