Sea Creature

While cleaning this evening, I was moving around some nick-nacks on a long countertop.  One of these items happened to be the preserved husk of a sea urchin.  Given its robust size, perfect form, and regal coloration, this particular creature almost certainly enjoyed a peaceful life until it was plucked from the ocean floor, allowed to die a horrid death via dehydration, and hollowed out to make a void in which humans could place potpourri.  This timeless treasure of the seas now lives on in my 70's-fabulous garage-apartment bathroom in Portland.

I'm not really one to make use of potpourri in the home.  Nevertheless, being a person for whom memories are easily evoked by smell, this particular items always reminds me of my Grandma Gowin.  Even though the urchin now sits empty, the pleasant scent of its previous contents still wafts into the open air from time to time, reminding me of Grandma's old house. For that alone, it will always have a place in my home, along with a precious few other items that I inherited after she passed away.