Fleeting Fragrances

When did this craving begin, a daily seeking of fleeting fragrances. I had no idea when or how this craving began, but I knew I had a craving and it was relentless. Craving for something nearby I could rely upon, something I could visit daily for a bit of solace. I wanted to breathe in something sweet, something pure, something for the pure pleasure of it. I started looking online for shrubs or flowers I could plant and enjoy for what they would provide. I thought of flowers, flowers last, flowers give back repeatedly, year after year.

At the beginning of a summer a few years ago, I purchased two fragrant climbing roses and planted them in half barrels beside the framework over our BBQ. I soon realized this was not a well thought-out plan. The rose canes began to invade walking spaces and Gary was not too happy. To be fair he'd warned me he didn't think plants with thorns were the best choice, but I knew roses would provide me with the fragrance I so longed for and the potential detriments fell to the wayside.

By the end of summer I knew I needed more fragrant plants. I purchased two lavender plants to put in the raised bin which we'd built at the beginning of summer. My desire for fragrance was curtailed with the necessity of frugality and cost savings. We'd planted burpless cucumbers in the bin, but unbeknownst to us, at night cucumber moths deposit their eggs in the cucumbers and when we picked the beautiful cucumbers we quickly discovered the liquid oozing from them was the excrement of their larvae. So cucumbers were quickly discarded as a viable food crop to grow here. Thankfully the lavender plants gave a few blossoms before winter set in.

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In the depths of this winter's cold I've reflected back over my life imagining all the fragrances I've known and loved. A perfume I used to wear came to mind, Oscar de la Renta. The perfume, even in the 1980s and 1990s, was too expensive for my wallet so I used the Eau de Toilette. Why did I love this particular brand so much? I loved the blend of ingredients they had achieved, but I also recalled folks would comment appreciatively when I wore it. In the world of fragrance chemistry, it seems, each ingredient reacts with a person's own chemical composition and a pleasant marriage can be made. I remember my mother always wore Chanel No 5. What about you, your mother, your grandmother, your uncle, or father what did they wear? My father wore Old Spice after shave.

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When I sit on the porch fragrant bouquets swirl by intermittently and I recall pleasant memories from the past. Perhaps apple or citrus blossoms, maybe tomato sauce with garlic and oregano or spicy chili cooking on the stove in my family or a relative's kitchen. Can you remember the smell of fresh cut grass or hamburgers or steaks cooking on the grill? These are the olfactory memories I've been seeking low these many months. The damp of a forest after a rain, a living room filled with the scent of pine needles from the Christmas tree drying in a heated home.

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During long spats of cold in winter I find myself searching for fragrance. One winter I began looking online for fragrant bulbs to order. If you've never known the hyacinth fragrance, please partake if time permits. Much to my chagrin almost all hyacinth bulbs are sold out. Seems food isn't the only item in short supply. Luckily this week my local grocery store had a forced hyacinth bulb in water with buds; Gary bought one for me. Later in the week at another nearby grocery I found a purple hyacinth bulb in bloom; I had to get it. Now I can pick up the small plant and breath in the sweet aroma each time I feel the need.

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Other fragrances I recall are plumeria and white ginger of Hawaii and honeysuckle vines in the deep south woods. Fruit and nut trees in California central valleys continue sending fleeting perfumes for folks to relish in the evening air. I begin to feel almost desperate trying to remember what I knew in the past. Puppy breathe, wet wool, laundry drying on an outdoor clothes line, clean sheets, a freshly painted room, compost rich with nutrients, ocean spray wet and salty, Any number of fleeting fragrances take me to a place I have enjoyed even though the moments and memories are long since past.