I spent Saturday in downtown Los Angeles. Just after 7am, with 2 friends, I boarded a bus filled with 55 women and 2 men for a 45-minute trip to Pershing Square to join the
Women's March-Los Angeles. Seventy thousand marchers were expected but, on the way there, we heard that the number of marchers had more than doubled to 150,000. But the numbers grew steadily. There are no definitive counts of the actual
size of the crowd but current estimates place it between 500,000 and 750,000 participants.
Men were well-represented but the march had a distinctly female vibe. Knitted pink "
pussyhats" were everywhere.
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| Wedged in among thousands of marchers, it was difficult to get any good photos but this one may give you some impression of the ubiquitous pink color |
So, Sunday morning when I darted out in the rain to pick materials for "In a Vase on Monday," pink was on my mind and, luckily, still abundant in my garden. I didn't spend much time deliberating on my choices and, as the rain came down more and more heavily as the day proceeded, I made do with what I gathered on my first mad rush around the garden.
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| Front: The flowers are packed into a vase rather like my fellow marchers and I packed the streets of Los Angeles |
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| Back: But I like to think the varied materials support one another as well as thousands upon thousands of strangers supported one another on the streets of LA |
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| Top view (You can find an aerial view of the Los Angeles march crowd here) |
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| Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Argyranthemum frutescens, Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', Coprosma 'Fireburst', Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom', and Rhodanthemum hosmariense with noID Dianthus |
The few extra stems I couldn't cram into my selected vase were popped into a tiny vase.
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| Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection' with another noID Dianthus |
These two vases found places, while the presentable leftovers of last week's vases were consolidated and found a spot too.
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| The tiny vase sits near the kitchen sink; the larger vase sits on the dining room table; and the mash-up of last week's vases sits in the front entry |
The rain continued all day. It was more rain than I think we've had on any single day in the 6 years we've owned our current house. The daily total exceeded 4 inches. While I realize that may not seem like a lot to those of you in wetter climates, it is a LOT for us. Probably not a drought-buster, but things are looking up there. Unfortunately, SoCal's honeymoon with rain also appears to be over with the onset of mudslides, fallen trees and flooded freeways.
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| View through my kitchen window on Sunday at 4pm |
For more vases,
visit our host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Good choice of color.
ReplyDeleteI thought so too!
DeleteDear Kris, thanks for marching on Saturday!
ReplyDeleteLove your two vases today! The pink one has such a cheerful and happy ambiance, much needed in these challenging politic times and during these rainy days. The small one is very elegant with the beautiful camellia.
Here it has rained like crazy yesterday as well, we even had to drain the pool. As much as we need the rain, it was really getting on my mood and I am happy that we are supposed to have a break in the next couple of days.
Warm regards,
Christina
Yesterday's rain was something I haven't seen in years, Christina. A virtual deluge! A nearby freeway was severely flooded in both directions, a downed tree temporarily closed one of 2 main roads out of our area, and there was a massive mudslide in a local area under construction that blocked one of the main surface routes to and from my area. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to dry out soon.
DeleteFabulous! in every respect!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sandra!
DeleteYes, absolutely gorgeous Kris and well done for adding your marching feet to those phenomenal numbers of people who stood up to be counted. Tomorrow, in solidarity, i shall pick some pink sprigs from my garden as my tribute to everyone who marched.
ReplyDeleteThat's thoughtful of you Sarah!
DeletePerfectly pink posies. Your garden looks good in the rain. Sorry all that wet stuff has come at once and is causing problems now.
ReplyDeleteWell, the winter rainy season was once something we were used to but I fear we're a little out of practice in dealing with its nastier repercussions, Peter.
DeleteOutstanding...love the vases and the rain and wow to be part of that March! Thanks for Marching Kris....
ReplyDeleteAttending the march was a privilege, Donna.
DeleteFantastic all around and good for you (and us) for getting on that bus. Had friends in DC and WPB here! Thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteThe pink is just lovely and looks perfect in the Ginkgo vase.
I was determined to participate, Amelia, despite a pesky cough that's hung on for weeks now. I came home hoarse but with a lighter heart.
DeleteGreat that you joined the march. Well done. I like your celebratory pink vases. That' s the first time I have seen rain in your garden. What a welcome sight for you.
ReplyDeleteIn the period from October 1st (the official start of our so-called rainy season) to the present, we've already received twice the rain we did in the prior year. It's like the El Nino effect we'd expected last year.
DeleteHow awesome is that? Thanks for marching on Saturday. I was simply shocked when I saw the estimated numbers for LA. A friend and colleague was in Washington and she said it was completely life-changing.
ReplyDeletePink it is!
Hooray for more rain (and boo for mudslides and other losses in CA).
The march was an incredible experience, Tim. I'm rather glad I didn't have an accurate understanding of the numbers of participants in advance, though - it's quite daunting to find oneself standing cheek to jowl with that many people!
DeleteAnd it was pink!Lovely!
ReplyDeleteThanks Anca!
DeleteNew Zealand Coprosma and South African Coleonema - we stand together (altho I didn't march - but with you all in thought!)
ReplyDeleteand wonderful to see your rain.
DeleteWe hope for a millimetre or two tomorrow.
I was thrilled to hear of the marches in other countries, Diana, and I'm happy to know that you and others outside our country understand and share the views of the US marchers. As to your rain, I hope the situation there turns around as it has here. Last year our average rainstorm delivered on the order of a millimeter or 2 as well but this year has been very different. Whether this represents an end to SoCal's drought or only an anomaly remains to be seen.
DeleteThat is an amazing turnout, Kris - demonstrating such expression of feeling... Your pink vases were completely appropriate of course, especially with the cramming in of the first vase - and such a pretty camellia! Hard to imagine 4" of rain in one day - certainly not something I have experienced ;) Thanks for sharing today
ReplyDeleteOur ground is now truly and thoroughly saturated, Cathy. It'd be nice if the rain slowed down a bit but perhaps beggars can't be choosers.
DeleteI've heard the LA turnout was bigger than D.C. -- but it's so hard to estimate crowds ;)
ReplyDeleteWell done, Kris!
Because the crowd was so large, the planned march didn't come off as intended - many of the participants, myself included, were simply locked in place with no way to move along the designated route. And because that resulted in people spilling out in numerous directions into the surrounding streets, the police were unable to effectively count the number of marchers. I understand that the aerial views support the contention that the numbers were at least comparable to the 2006 immigration protest.
DeleteOur weather for the March was very good for January. Love your pink flowers packed in like you were on the bus!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you didn't have to fight miserable conditions during your own march, Linda. Someone was smiling down on us in LA on Saturday as it was one of the few dry days in the past week plus - the deluge held off until Sunday.
DeleteFriday was awful, but Saturday was as beautiful as your bouquet.
ReplyDeleteSaturday was a wonderful counterpoint to the dystopian inaugural address.
DeleteI think 4 inches in one day topped us Kris, although the higher elevations here -particularly the hills between Napa and Sonoma counties get a tone more than we do on the valley floor. I'm proud of the many friends I have who marched on Saturday in various cities.I'm reduced to buying flowers at Trader Joes now-I have nothing going on in my garden but mud !
ReplyDeleteFriends told me that they had standing water in their gardens last week. After this most recent deluge I anticipated I might find some here but I walked the garden this morning and, other than a couple of pots that weren't draining properly, I didn't find any standing water. However, the soil is now saturated and I'm concerned that some of my succulents may evidence their dismay in the coming weeks.
DeleteWe had a very wet weekend, about three inches over Saturday into Sunday. I am glad your rain continues, but you don't need mudslides! We had tornadoes to the south of us, but nothing terrible here, though I did think the roof might come off a time or two! ( It didn't.)
ReplyDeleteYour floral arrangements are lovely!
I worried about whether you were affected by the tornadoes, Deb, but was pleased to see that they didn't factor into your last post. I hope the weather improves in the southeast soon.
DeleteFour inches of rain in one day!? My gosh! We don't get rain like that. I hope your plants are taking it in stride.
ReplyDeleteAs for your beautiful vase, absolutely lovely tie in with the march. What an amazing turn out there in LA, and around the world. I pray it's just the begging of a lot of action...
I haven't seen rain like that in years, Loree. Usually, heavy rain lasts just minutes when a cell moves directly over us but this rainfall was relentless. For the most part, we've fared well - I had a few water-logged pots and found one top-heavy arrangement toppled over this morning. My only worry now is that some of my succulents might rot. As to the march, yes, I expect it's just the beginning - there was a lot of intense feeling on parade last Saturday.
DeletePink all the way! Thank you for marching, what a wonderful demonstration of women's feelings. Lucky it didn't rain on Saturday, that might have stopped some people showing their feelings. I was with you all in spirit.
ReplyDeleteSunday's rain was beyond intense and certainly would have sent people scrambling for cover at the march had it arrived a day earlier. The powers-that-be (the real ones) were clearly with us that day.
DeleteThink pink! And hopefully all that rain will replenish reserves.
ReplyDeleteNorthern California was generally considered out of drought as of the last official assessment but SoCal was still placed in the "extreme drought" category. My hope is that these most recent rains tip the scale further toward the "no drought" category.
DeleteYour pink vase is gorgeous, and I love the parallels to the march you went on! That amount of rain in a day would be a lot on our terms too, so hope it lets up to a gentle drizzle at least. :)
ReplyDeleteWe seem to have received a pause in the rain, at least for the next week. Hopefully, that will give us a chance to dry out a bit. My succulents and drought-tolerant plants need a little relief!
DeleteYou're such a talented flower arranger, Kris, the vases are...well, just pretty in pink! Such an antidote to my seedheads! What were you marching for in LA? You must all be delighted about the rain. Let's hope it'll last and make a difference. Best wishes, Annette
ReplyDeleteThe Women's March-LA was an extension of the march in Washington, DC. There were at least 270 "sister marches" throughout the US on Saturday and I was gratified to hear that there were also marches in major capitals throughout the world. Women's rights, felt to be under attack by the new government administration, were a big piece of the marchers agenda but there's also support for affordable health care, civil rights, the rights of immigrants, the health of the planet and other causes that appear to be under fire by the new administration.
Delete4" is A LOT of rain - esp. all in one day! Feast or famine, eh?
ReplyDeleteLOVE your pink arrangement in your pretty shell vase. I really like your design style, natural, airy, my cup of tea!
It must have been amazing to be a part of such a huge crowd on Sat. The energy must have been so uplifting and thankfully, the weather cooperated (same here). This is only the beginning!
Saturday's weather here was an incredible break in all respects!
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