The Most Gorgeous…Scents.

I've been accused of having "dog nose". I'm actually fine with that label since my husband uses it to describe my sense of smell and not my physical looks, however, I do think dogs have adorable noses…

Anyone who has worked in an office with me knows my nose is no joke. I can easily detect my nemesis flower, lilies, being sneaked in and placed in a back office.  I'm highly allergic to lilies, they unleash unpleasantries like, watery eyes, tight throat, sneezing and colorful expletives. If you have similar reactions to some flowers, a good florist, like Hummingbird, will keep a handy file on your preferences, so your partner, relatives, colleagues and besties won't have to struggle to remember what flowers mess with your cute. See, not all profiling is bad! 

Speaking of flowers...I discovered my favorite flower via a perfume that I absolutely could not afford way back in 1996. Back then, I was working for a tiny sporting events promoter in Belltown, living downtown, kinda broke but mostly happy. Ahhh youth. The Belltown office was in a new swanky building and had an equally swanky boutique on the ground floor. I could barely afford to window shop the store - but as a brazen 20-something, my tiny bank account didn't stop me from going in one day.  The joint smelled like heaven – a yummy, crisp, spring like heaven – all courtesy of the perfume they sold exclusively. The bottles were lined on the counter, the tester was sitting there winking at me, so of course I sprayed myself. And with that, I fell madly in love. I think the discoveries we come upon on our own are the most memorable, ya? I honestly don't think I had ever smelled the delicate amazing scent of Sweet Peas until that moment in 1996. I was raised in Spokane, if you wanna talk lilacs, let's do it - but I swear I didn't know Sweet Peas existed. I can admit that now. Once I figured out Sweet Peas were the base note of the perfume, I actively sought out the flowers at the Market, which I could easily afford. Plus, the flowers were 10 times better than the perfume, but isn't that always the case? Ironically, many years later, when I was finally financially able to purchase the perfume, it had been discontinued. Apparently, I wasn't the only one deciding rent was more important than perfume.

I have a few scents I love for our home, mainly citrus and vanilla notes. That’s right, fancy-fine living gal has the most pedestrian of tastes in home scents. I keep it simple and organic. I've over-thought every aspect of our living space but I'm most flattered when someone enters and notices how good the house smells. This is no easy hat trick with two senior dogs that do whatever the hell they want, wherever the hell they want. How can something so small be so stinky? Yet, I'd snuggle them all day if I could! I digress.  I keep an old school non-motorized porcelain flower diffuser with orange essential oil in the entryway. In addition to the diffuser, when we do our monthly furnace filter change, I dab about 15 drops of lemon oil on the new filter.  It's subtle but keeps the house from smelling like a kennel. It's light enough that it doesn't clash with any flowers that visit our home, or trigger sneezes from sensitive visitors. If you're interested in trying, there's info online about the best oils to use for enhancing your wellbeing. If you’re feeling crafty, there’s info on how to extract the essential oils from cut flowers once they have wilted too. The lemon oil I use is supposed to enhance the respiratory and digestive systems, help memory, creativity, ease depression and clear confusion. Dang. Perhaps I should be drinking it...um, the point is, I think the most personal and cozy homes are filled with the things you love – including scents. 

This time of year, my longing for certain scents can be indescribable and almost primal. I'll always remember the gorgeous scent of my mother's sweaters and her home during the holidays. My most favorite scents of all.