Scent Posts

My nose is on hiatus at the moment, suffering the numbing effects of a raging viral infection that I thought, for a brief moment, was going to send me to the emergency room. But the symptoms quickly subsided and now I'm left with a bit of anosmia and a mean fever blister. Thank heavens for the neti pot or I might now be woozy with a bacterial infection on top of it all. So instead of continuing on with my perfume formulation for the upcoming project, or stopping to smell the flowers on the way to work, I've been reading. A lot. I haven't read this much since I first moved in here and was without internet and TV for a month. I must have read ten books, some of the repeats, during that time. It was really nice. Right now I'm in different parts of three books, Idiot's Guide to Zen Living, that Roy Genders book, Perfume Through the Ages or something, and another book on plants authored by a modern American who writes like Jane Austen. Sometimes it's difficult to get on with the information she's attempting to communicate due to the hoity-toity sound of the narrative. It's weird because I normally love that style of writing, but I guess that's for fiction (in my mind) and not for science.

We're experiencing another odd stop-and-start spring like last year and the year prior. The monsoons have finally arrived and we're getting much-needed water, which all the garden loves, and the lawn. The lawn is spectacular right now -- lush and green and just screaming for someone to toss a blanket down for a picnic. All the potted plants are thriving. Things are looking good. Now to plan an event for the summer and I'll be set. Last May I hosted a fragrance gathering here and met face-to-face a few of my favorite people ~ Shelley Waddington and Yuko Fukami, and reconnected with my scentophiles at arms, Lisa Camasi and Laurie Stern. I had hoped to get a little more local action and I was able to net a few friends of friends of friends, but I was hoping -- that word, hope, ah! -- more Fresnans would come and be involved. This year I think I'll get in contact with the art community and see what can be drummed up with their involvement.

This Sunday will be me and my youngest here at home, the rest of the kids have plans for Easter, so I'm thinking of taking the opportunity to try my hand at jelly again, this time an orange blossom marmalade. The sweet orange in the backyard is nearly white with blossoms, plus there are a few of last seasons oranges clinging to the top. The last go round with jelly ended up syrup, but a nice, thick, luscious jasmine grandi syrup. I think a delicious effervescent marmalade with the deep sweet floral of orange blossom is in order.

I have posts backed up -- about 25 days' worth now! I feel awful about being so far behind on the scent post project. But I will catch up eventually.