I’ve
never actually studied flower arranging... I’ve kind of learned it as
I’ve gone along, over the course of about 25 years... For me it’s what
painting is for many other people...a way of relaxing, a way of
listening to programs on the radio or to music without fidgeting, a way
of showing affection to people I care about.., a way of centering
myself...especially for me if it involves certain fragrances.... roses,
stock, freesia, lily of the valley, peaches, nectarines, honeysuckle.
It’s like cooking. There’s no one way to do it right. You can start with what flowers are available at any given moment, as if they were ingredients, and improvise on those; or start with an idea, and see what ingredients would bring it into focus; or choose a container and think about various ways it could be shown to its best advantage. Or, most likely, use some combination of all these approaches.
After spending years in the political closet (one of the dangers of a politically mixed marriage) I have emerged with a flourish, and a job as Press Person for a Michigan candidate for the United States House of Representatives. I have been working for Bob Alexander, a Democrat running in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, against Mike Rogers, a four-term Republican incumbent. Bob is the kind of Democrat my parents are – a Joan Baez, “if you want peace, work for justice” kind of guy who spent years circulating petitions and working crowds “cold” to promote the value of a living wage for working people, and eventually persuaded the Michigan legislature to raise the minimum wage by 29 percent. He was not holding office at the time, mind you; it was just the right thing to do.