In a Vase on Monday - Blow, Blow, thou Winter Wind

It's Monday and Cathy reminds us that it's  time to gather some of the outside to bring in and enjoy for a while.  While our temperatures have been fairly mild this fall/winter, there have been a few rather strong wind storms and last night's event was a doozy.  At about one a.m. things going bump in the night woke me from sleep.  Fortunately, we didn't lose power or suffer any damage but many did.  I'd planned on cutting a few early bloomers to pop into a vase but on the way to work this morning, I spied a few branches that had blown from the Cedrus deodara that grows by a church near our house.  The female cones of this tree are lovely but once they're mature, they disintegrate to release their seeds leaving the central part on the branch so whole cones don't fall to the ground like they do with many other conifers.  However, if the wind blows large branches down, the cones come with them.  It's only neighborly to help pick up debris after a storm right?

The cones are covered in pitch.  Someone told me today that you can bake the cones and that makes the pitch harden and loose it's sticky quality.  I worry that it might also cause this particular kind of cone to fall apart but perhaps I'll try one and see what happens.  Joining the Cedar branches and cones are some euonymus that had to be cut back by the workers doing the sidewalk job, some Garrya elliptica catkins that blew off the bush, and, even though they're past their prime, a few Callicarpa berries. (Mostly to make Kris P. jealous.)

A few extra cones and a star from atop a Christmas gift (Sunday was Epiphany) joined the glass vase made by Island Art Glass on Whidbey Island.