As a small child, my household chore was to go outdoors and make bouquets for the table. That could be challenging in Nova Scotia with its long, cold winters and slow arriving summers. I grew to see the beauty in dried grasses, twigs, and other scraps of nature that could be gathered and turned into something of beauty. These assemblages came out of my ritual walks during the pandemic –they enabled me to stay engaged and hopeful during a dark moment in time.