The 100,000 View Draw

I predicted it would take a bit longer than it has -- but a week? It took a week to jump 900+ views for this blog to reach the 100,000 mark. So about that celebrating I mentioned in an earlier post. How about a giveaway? A perfume and the nearly published 'Working the Bench' perfume making book -- 1st edition, as yet unsullied by the critics' evil eyes? What say you? To enter for the '100,000 View Draw', leave a comment and subscribe to or 'follow' this blog ~ simple.

 

Spring has not yet sprung but I am in a tizzy over the potential of plants. Again, I've gone off my rocker for jasmine and lemongrass and wildflower seed balls. Due to the lack of conditioning and nutrients in the soil 'round this old house, my vetyver plants died a slow and painful death, withering away to nubs before the cold weather hit. I am so disappointed. My rose geranium, however, has flourished on the south-facing wall and is, even now in the cold, growing like an unwanted weed. I also have a lovely and rare white geranium that has taken off with a boom. Come spring, both will be divinely in bloom and brightening up that dull wall that 'til now has been the home of boxy nondescript bushes and the occasional beer can tossed carelessly away by one of the Tower zombies. 

A new class is gearing up at the Academy and lots of changes are going on there -- the course is being completely restructured for this new group of students in the hopes of keeping the momentum and passion and inspiration fired up. Too often in past classes students have become bored and anxious to get on with it, the bones of perfumery becoming much too tedious to study ad nauseam. And I cannot blame them -- looking back over the history unit alone is eye crossing -- as the tempo is quickly lost shortly after they realize that real study is involved. So we're mixing it up, putting the excitement back into the study, presenting challenges that create passion and exhilaration. At least we hope that they do.

I'm once again gathering the materials to create another kyphi, this one leaning more toward benzoins and sandalwood, something a little different than the traditional kyphi, however keeping the basics, the fruit and honey and wine, in the mix as they are the very body of kyphi, the resins and herbs the soul. I am enamored of kyphi these days, my mind races with the possibilities of varying lush aromatic smoking incense, one that embodies the essence of honey, another that highlights the delicacy of sandalwood powder and oud -- the very thought gives me goose bumps. 

Today I go a~hunting for something to distill. I began a distillation of kumquats a month or so back and due to the daily bustle and buzz that goes on (and a fair bit of ignorance too) around here I had to shut the operation down and then toss the mash away when I realized the halt in production wasn't temporary. What. A. Bummer.  Wish me luck on my foray to find something delicious to distill.