What If I Mixed Them All Together

I finished using up all the packets of scents I had collected over the years. Out of that group, I liked the Avon Soft Musk and the Givenchy best. Now it's time to move on to these little sampler vials.

I collected all the ones I could find in the basket on the dressing table. It took a bit of moving to find the ones on the left, the loose vials, unattached to any kind of identifying card. As you can see, a couple have their names printed on them, but I have three for which I have no clue what they are. My goal now is to use all these up.

I started with the vial to the left. I suspect, judging by the sameness of the blue-topped vial to the right, it's the same scent. What that scent is, I haven't a clue, but, after a couple days of use, I will say it's not unpleasant. I have a bit of difficulty in getting the top off without some very minor splashing. With these vials, I'm not sure anyone can get them off all the time without having to wipe their hands on their body parts at least once.

It's probably going to take at least 2 weeks of near daily use to get through a vial. So, these 5 represent almost 2 months of scents. Once they are done, I can start in on the ones with cards.

I wondered what kind of scent I would make if I just dumped them all into an empty bottle. I have several of one scent. Would that one overpower the others? I'm just crazy enough to try that but I don't have a proper bottle to house the resulting liquid. So, I'll just start with one, finish it off and move on to another.

I found, with the samplers prior, scents can be remarkably similar. "The scents of exotic fruits, amber, patchouli, flowers, and spices." Or, "the intoxicating scents of sandalwood, vanilla, bitter orange, rose, gardenia, jasmine, amber, and mandarin". Shrug. We'll see. This is more about getting rid of than comparing or assessing worth. If I can find a bottle, I still may dump them all together just because I can.

Beverage:  Lipton tea

Deb

Helicopters

This is the time of year when the front maple tree goes bonkers.

Look at all the seeds. I don't remember, in recent years, there being this many in this tree. Perhaps it's a result of the weather.

They are everywhere in the front yard and into the street now.

Mostly there are individual ones around but, in some places, clusters have fallen. And there are still more on the tree.

They are hanging on tenaciously, waiting for that one breeze to dislodge them and send them spinning. I haven't seen them fall. It's like they wait, on purpose, for me to be gone and then everyone makes the leap.

I had a college friend who was a missionary to Bangladesh. She taught in a small school attached to a Christian church. It was the only school for something like 20 miles in any direction and, as they were quite well funded, had things the villagers had never experienced, like books and basic first aid.

One year, I collected about 3 dozen of these and sent them to her for the class she taught. They made it through customs, which is always a concern when you send plants, and all the way to her. She gave each student a seed and then they all tossed them into the air. She said the children issued squeals of delight when they watched the seeds twirl to the ground. It took up the rest of the day. Of course, by the time I got the letter back saying these were a huge hit, they were gone.

It's such a wonderful mess. I have a rake now. I could go out and rake these up. Zeke will just mulch them into the lawn. There is something magical about this, however. I love collecting handfuls and tossing them into the air. I'm sure it spawns some rather strange looks from the neighbors. Life is too short not to toss maple seeds and watch them spin in the breeze.

Beverage: Lipton tea

Deb

5 1/2 Weeks

Zeke, the guy who mows my lawn, is taking some horticultural classes at College of DuPage. He was told by one of his instructors, that flowering and blooming plants are 5 1/2 weeks ahead of where they would be normally. I can see it now.

The lilacs are done. I spent part of last Saturday just smelling them. I see where Hallmark has a lilac candle available for Mother's Day. I wonder how close it is. And, I need to make a distinction here. The late blooming lilacs, the small flower clusters on an equally small plant, are Miss Kim version. They have a spicy scent which is okay, but I prefer the Persian lilac version. The white ones are called "Abraham Lincoln". I need to spend some time over the summer, pruning my lilacs back. They only blossom on old stalks and pruning all the suckers they make leads to more sturdy plants and more flowers. More flowers is very good.

I'm struck by the dearth in color now. We've got typical spring weather; upper 50's to 60's during the day, upper 30's and 40's with the occasional frost warning at night. This would be the time where tulips would be everywhere. Nothing much is left. We were all thrilled with the exceptionally warm March, but now the color that is missing reminds me unseasonable isn't always exciting.

I spent Friday in the city on a project. The building where I was at has this amazing side garden. The tulips there are the end of the season tulips and were at peak.

 I loved the look. They have pink...

white with pink stripes...

and Queen of the Night tulips.

I love the dark juxtaposed with the light colors. I see this and think, you know what would be an incredible sight, Queen of the Night tulips with late season yellow. Yes, it would be my Iowa black and gold, in my yard. Doing that means actually getting my strength to a point where I can dig up a section and plant tulips in September. Not sure that's going to happen, but this display inspires me.

As the weather warms, I'll be filling pots and growing flowers. Maybe, mid-May, a trip to a plant center could be in order to add color to the yard. Right now, while the green is lovely, I'm really missing the scattered color you'd normally have at this time. Maybe Mother Nature did this so I wouldn't be so anxious for a change of season. I like this quote from Robin Williams, or at least attributed to him, "Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'". I'm wishing the party hadn't been so early.

Beverage:  Lipton tea

Deb

Unforeseen Consequences

Isn't he cute? He comes around now just looking for peanuts. He knows I'll toss them out on the deck on occasion and so he's started visiting to see if there are any.

Well, file this under "no good deed goes unpunished". I toss a couple handfuls onto the deck, in front of the back door, and place a handful on the end of the deck rail. One cat can sit at the back door and watch, while the other cat can sit at the window and watch. Yes, it could be the same squirrel stealing all the nuts but there is a fatter one who shows up on occasion. (I still have not see anything of the black one who was in the yard in the winter.)

Sunday, the peanut eater created a huge bunch of drama between the girls. If I'd really thought this out, I probably could have seen this coming, but my goal was to provide some minor entertainment. I had just settled down with my breakfast oatmeal to balance my checkbook and there erupted a massive cat fight in the kitchen. Mija came charging down the hallway with Pilchard in hot pursuit. There was much growling, hissing and some swiping of paws. I broke that up, sent them to their respective corners and yelled, "Stop it!" Unfortunately, that didn't stop it.

The rest of the day, they took turns sniping, growling, hissing at and fighting with each other. It got really bad when Pilchard cornered Mija in the bathroom. I thought fur was going to fly or Mija would come out biting. We've already had a problem with Pilchard getting bit. I don't want another one.

At first, I couldn't figure out what would have triggered such horribly aggressive and hostile behavior in two cats who have been raised together for years. Then, later that night, a raccoon jumped up on the deck railing just outside this window. Mija was asleep on the shelf unit under the window and Pilchard was asleep in the chair to my right. Mija instantly hissed and growled and swiped at the window. Pilchard, awoke and when Mija jumped down off the shelf unit, hissed and growled at her. Bingo. They must have both been at the back door earlier in the day when the squirrel showed up. Cats are notoriously territorial about prey and if both of them saw the squirrel, they would have unleashed the "That's mine" against the other one. It was really, really bad on Sunday.

By Monday, they had calmed down to half of what it was on Sunday. Mija still hissed and growled when she met Pilchard in the hallway and Pilchard still stalked Mija when she would come through the kitchen following me. They seemed to both need reassurance that I was over yelling at them. There are no patches of fur missing, no obvious teeth marks. So, we seem to have gotten through this.

But, I think I shall be limiting how many peanuts I spread out and where they go. It really bothers me to see the natural anger of the girls explode like that. I tried to keep them calm and separated but they want to be with and near me and that seemed to exacerbate the hostilities on Sunday. I need to think about this. Avoidable vet bills are not to be encouraged.

Beverage:  Dr Pepper

Deb