Comments on: Rat Money Redux

By: barbara

barbara — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 01:00:24 +0000

my rat money smells-my nana’s armoire, the waft of cedar and tobacco, and her gallon size chanel on top of her dresser, which also held her dream books for a ltille horse race fare;paris-the attic room i took in the damp new year of 87, and all i wore was guerlain and the pink of the guerlain rooms;emeraude at 14, mixed with my father’s pipe tobacco that was mixed with cherry and something dark and sexy;tabac and gualoise and the smell of the fleeting love’s white porche(leather) that he screeched up on my sidewalk with(he was from colombia-they park on the sidewalks, as you will see in paris).The county fair in montery, where i won my blue ribbons-horses, cows, sawdust, under foggy skies-that is also what serge’s ambre reminds me of-tie one on in paris for me…take your corksrew and sample the autumn wines….

By: Rita

Rita — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 19:41:54 +0000

I am so happy to read this again! I love scents that take me back. I use to love to go on car trips with my grandparents, and Chanel Cuir de Russie reminds me of those days. The smell of the leather interior mixed with my grandfathers spicy aftershave, but that hint of my grandmother’s dusting powder every now and then(how I wish I could remember the name of the powder the used!) My dear grandmother, who never yelled at me once for the amounts of her fragrances I sprayed or for that matter, the number of roses I pulled from her bushes so I could carry them around with me all day. This is the main reason behind my love of Rose de Nuit, it reminds me of the scent of the roses I trampled every day as a child just to get to that perfect one. As a kid, I didn’t even think about how much money and labor she put into her gardens. And that dear lady never said a thing, after all her hard work, just because she knew it made me happy. She WAS a rose. This post has made my day, thanks Patty! Hope you ladies are having fun in Paris!

By: Teri

Teri — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:46:54 +0000

My rat money smell is a combination of bay rum, cigar smoke, motor oil, and men’s hair tonic.

My maternal grandfather was a career railroad man, working his way up from signalman to district sales manager for the Great Plains states before his retirement in the early 1960s. Grandad was a ‘man’s man’ and a real smooth customer. He was an avid hunter, fisherman, gambler, cigar smoker and all-around bon vivant.

He was also a ladies’ man. Women of all ages (not excluding me) adored him. It was my grandad who took me to buy me first real lingerie, if that tells you anything.

Grandad had a ‘den’ in the loft of their garage. This was the place where ‘the boys’ would come over to play poker, drink ‘bourbon and branch’, cuss and discuss politics, and smoke their stogies. I was strongly cautioned to stay away from Grandad’s den, which had the effect of making it completely irresistable to me. Surely that den must be a veritable den of iniquity! Whenever I knew ‘the boys’ would be coming over, I’d slip into a hiding place under the stairs on the main floor of the garage. I’m fairly sure my Grandad knew I was hiding there, but he never ‘outed’ me either to his friends or to my mother.

As a result, I grew up with a strong interest in and knowledge of politics, sports, fast cars and faster women. That forbidden bastion of masculinity just HAD to house the smell of rat money.

By: Maria

Maria — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 16:45:15 +0000

What a beautiful post! Thanks. I hope you’re having an okay time negotiating your arrival.

For me the main rat money scent would be musk. I’m not drawn to skank. I do wrinkle my nose a bit at it. But sometimes I have to wear Jicky and very, very frequently Musc Ravageur.

By: Louise

Louise — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 15:33:59 +0000

Note my various aliases! Thanks!