Sands/Hourglass

I bought three bunches of daffodils yesterday from Trader Joe's, and they've already opened into terrific yellow blooms in vases around my house. Daffodils always make me smile on account of this memory: In Oregon, there was always a festival each Spring, at which they would sell bunches of five flowers for $1. For that price, it seemed like the entire town became transformed into a brightly-hued kinetic sculpture, with blooms peeking from bobbing backpacks, tucked behind ears on happy heads, and sitting in sills all up and down the little neighborhood streets. For a limited time, the sunny accessory seemed to transcend genres; everyone seemed to want one. Such a fond springtime memory from an era during which a handful of life's greatest gifts converged: youth, optimism, curiosity, hope, friendship, and learning. Le sigh.