The Vase (2018)

By Eilene Lyon

Some people are collectors. I used to be, but 18 years of being an Army brat cured me, with one exception: books. I will always have books. Other people have things, part of a collection or not, that never get used.

Maybe it’s a formal living room no one ever visits (think: plastic slip covers on the sofa). Perhaps fine china or silver that gathers dust. The bottle of wine or whiskey that never gets opened (horrors!).

My philosophy, in the interest of reducing clutter, has become “use it or lose it,” i.e. trash, sell, donate, or gift it to someone.

About two decades ago, I bought a lovely little vase in Yellow Springs, Ohio. I can’t say it wasn’t used, exactly. It has sat on my bathroom countertop since then. But it held some dried, dyed grasses that faded and grew cobwebby over the years.

Two years ago, I said to myself: “Self, this is a VASE and it should be holding FLOWERS.” It still has a dried arrangement over the winter (fresher), but from May through November, I regularly stock it with blooms and greenery from the yard and roadside – mostly wildflowers.

It’s such a delight having those perky blossoms brighten my morning rituals each day. Here’s a selection of bouquets from last year. (Clearly blanket-flowers make a regular appearance.)

Spring has definitely sprung around here. I saw some chokecherries blooming today that I gotta have. I picked some lovely lupines on my dog walk this morning. Now I have another mini vase that I got in Delft, the Netherlands, last year.

Uh oh. Could this be the start of a…collection?!