Daffodils

A week ago yesterday i spotted my first daffodil foliage, and inspired by the coming season i bought variegated peach carnations at the supermarket. i spent a stupid amount of time mixing them up and arranging them to form a dome shape in a fishbowl like vase and while i was in the throes of my creative process i had the yet-to-be arranged stems in a big pitcher of water that tipped and spilled all over the floor, requiring much mopping, wiping, and swearing. but it was worth it because they look v. cheerful on the breakfast table.

today on the way into work i saw a front garden in Georgetown carpeted with crocuses and then, my v. first actual daffodil blossoms, fully open, yellow, and cheerful. today i wore no coat to work, spring is here, spring is here. i plan to cut some of our forsythia branches so they will bloom indoors (replacing the rapidly wilting carnations). i plan to replant the herb garden (i have already weeded about half of it). i feel much more in tune with the seasons this year, i think because i'm out of the big city. DC is a town of trees and gardens: i never remember seeing such beautiful fall foliage as i did this past autumn. plus with my early mornings at Starbucks i have become much more aware of subtle changes in light as the year moves ahead. yesterday it was light when i took my first break, and suddenly i could stand outside and enjoy the early morning again.



i didn't get in to Princeton, but i find it doesn't bother me. i figured i wasn't a perfect match there, and mainly applied because the location was perfect (a beautiful campus between New York and DC). now my only options are Harvard, Northwestern, and USC, that is, if one of them let's me in.

but it's hard to be pessimistic at this time of year. i am beginning to concoct hopeful schemes for next year, if i don't get in to grad school. i could live with my aunt and uncle in London and become something like a social secretary. i could tend bar in New York. i could move in with my sister in North Carolina. i could, i could . . .

this cheerful mood is no doubt helped along by the serious retail therapy i underwent in New York this past weekend. in between museum visits and Starbucks (wait, i thought that's what i did in DC . . . ) i bought a fabulous pair of cowboy boots, a gorgeous big black leather bag, a sweet light green twinset, and last but certainly not least, black pumps with ankle straps, just like the ones i loved and wore out many summers ago. in other words, my new wardrobe is well underway, so it is hard not to feel swept up in a tide of rejuvenation. its going to happen soon. by the end of the month i'll know what my future will look like.