Sometimes, I miss the Buttercups

Well, I guess soon it will be time for the buttercups to appear. (That's daffodils to you city folks.) We all know that buttercups welcome in the beginning of spring...renewal, rebirth, nature waking up again. Nothing can shout "spring is coming" more that these yellow "horns" that attach to their petals shaped like sunshine. While buttercups mean these things to me too, they mean so much more also. It was buttercups that I wandered all around our yard to gather a bunch. We had beds so full that if you cut them just right, you wouldn't even miss them from their beds. I remember that slimy goo that would drip from a freshly snipped stem. It was buttercups that learned my first science experiment with...you know that one where you put food coloring it the water and let the buttercup drink it up. It was ALWAYS buttercups that Mommy wrap in a wet paper towel for me to take to my teacher. I loved getting on the bus with flowers. I guarded them so preciously on that bumpy ride. I remember the vases of buttercups that Mommy arranged so perfectly for our house and for her desk. She'd add in some wedding bells and greenery (always from the bush by the side porch). She'd make those buttercups look like the most expensive flowers from the flower shop. So, while roses have a wonderful smell and are protected by their thorns and orchids are so delicate and pure...I prefer the buttercups. Yes indeed...I sometimes miss the buttercups