If I could send Points West some of the torrential rains we’ve been having, I would. I think we have reached our saturation point: rivers are close to overflowing, my tomatoes won’t need watering for the next couple of weeks (I’m a huge fan of growing peppers and tomatoes with very little water (after planting) as I feel it produces a sweeter fruit). Weeds abound. And my peach saplings are going gangbusters!
But! Enough is enough. The ground is spongy with water and I suspect there are mosquito nurseries in every nook & cranny. The green, though. Jungle green. Rainforest green. It’s green out there. Green. GREEN. Do y’all remember a post I wrote a few years back, when I was digging up those ferns? Everywhere around here smells like those ferns right now. Like it’s the beginning of time. I’ve been wearing Mathilde Laurent’s Les Heure Vertueuse – that primordial green scent that is nearly unwearable…until you work up a good sweat, as I did these past two days pre-and post-storm. Vertueuse gives off this weird, oily sap-smell that works well when one is cutting up tree limbs and dumping gallons of rainwater – my little frog gauge gave up at 6″. I have a 10″ vase out there that was filled to the brim. I’ve tried wearing Vertueuse at leisure and, wonderful as it is, it is Not Wearable. Who would’ve imagined it blossoming in the heat of the day, hauling logs! I hope Mme Laurent does not read this and if, by horrible chance, she does, I hope she accepts that this is not a negative. Vertueuse is gorgeous – it just is mo’ bettah gorgeous when one is sweating like a hog! The Universe has an insane sense of humor.
photo stolen: Internet
When I’ve not been smelling gloriously of Vertueuse I’ve been just plain ol’ stinky. It’s 100% humidity out here – and I’ve been ripping out rain-emboldened weeds and tying up tomato plants and putting in the peach trees and the new willows and I will have pictures in the next week or so and you will see how fabulous it all is (or will be). I’m sending El O off to see his maw and I look forward to spending the VERY long weekend (I am closing the shop Thursday-Sunday) drinking lemonade and reading Deborah Harkness’s third installment of her All Souls Trilogy “The Book of Life”. I remember settling down for what I thought would be an hour’s perusal of “A Discovery of Witches” only to find myself gobsmacked into a full afternoon’s read. When “Shadow of Night” came out I caught it at my little local library – poor Mary! I dove for it (and, come to think of it, it was the 4th of July weekend then, too!). She said it was an interlibrary loan and it had to be returned. When I started to cry she caved and made me promise to have it back by Monday. Heck! I could’ve had it back the next day! I ran home, jumped in the chaise longue in the garden and read until my eyes itched! I scored an advance reading copy and by golly I’mo READ it! 70F & sunny. Gin & tonic and some salted almonds, Bruno on his blanket in the grass, my tinkly little fountain….and “The Book of Life”….I’ll probably wear a vetiver to keep the bugs away. Or Guerlain Imperiale. I think I have the makings of a fabulous holiday weekend!
Holiday or not, what’s on your agenda for the weekend? Is it dry where you are? Or soaking wet, like here?
Btw: I know I need to have Bruno pull some winners from last week’s lame-o post, but he’s sleeping right now. I promise to have the winners pulled and posted for next week. And for those of you who won the Amouage samples, do not despair. I’m decanting! I’m decanting. I swear it! It’s just been a wacky week.
I love L’Heure Verteuse! You’re the one who hooked me on it with that post, so long ago. Yes, it’s green, medicinal, but lavender and herbal. FWIW, I use it often as a slumber scent 😀 I do really like green scents.
(Ok and musk, incense and florals)
I can’t wait for the third installment in this series. I’ve read and then just recently reread the first two books. What strikes me is Harkness’ obsession with scent. In my second reading I highlighted descriptions of smells, and nearly every page has one. (More in the first book, but also in the second) very fun. I look forward to it. Hope you all have a wonderful Fourth–I have to work, but plan homemade ice cream after and dominoes with the family. I’m easy to amuse! Be well.
Howdy, sweetie! As soon as I read your post, I hightailed it over to the Cartier stash and put on a dab o’ that great green Cartier monster. And you were right — it does work in hot temps just right! It was 95 or so here yesterday but near 100 where I went to visit the MIL, so the Cartier had plenty of heat to do its thang, ha! Hugs to you, Bruno and El O!!
So jealous of your advance reader’s copy! I have to wait until July 15 for mine. Despite a heroine who spends much of her time shaking with fatigue or exhaustion and unconscious for one reason or another, I loved the books and hope the third is a good read.
I am craving summery, beachy stuff these days–Bronze Goddess, Ombre Bleue, Virgin Island Water. I am in California and athough I don’t live close to a beach I can smell like I do.
No rain in Arizona since at least May. I agree tomatoes are sweeter with scarcer water–til they dried up in the heat, my tomatoes were the best ever, and I watered only three times while they were producing for three months.
OMG! That’s a long time – except it’s AZ. Is that usual for your part of the world? Here we usually get a lot of Spring rain, then intense Summer heat with intermittent rain (though we’ve had a month -6 weeks with nary a sprinkle). This rain and cold is quite unusual!
xoxoxoA
Bursting into tears at the library–sounds like an effective strategy! I’ve been meaning to try a few of those Les Heures for awhile now, and this is one of them. Would you please remind me who’s your preferred Malle SA at the Chicago Barneys?
Not preferred: MANDATORY! LOL! My Petunia Pie of Fabulosity, Andy Adams. Tell him Anita sent you – he’ll hook you up! Joseph is my go-to guy at the Cartier boutique (though I haven’t seen him the last few times I’ve been in )……pretty much any of the SAs there are stellar, though and will do all they can to make you welcome!
xoxoxoA
Oooh, I am anxiously awaiting the last of the trilogy, too. I have it pre-ordered, and thought it was coming on the 14th, so I better keep an eye on my Kindle. I loved it. Took me a chapter or two to get in to it, but I devoured it in one gulp. Some of us do lose our minds completely when we find our love; I was the same when I met my husband. 28 years later, I still get excited when I see him come in the door, and I would trust him with my life. (I could also cheerfully take a baseball bat to his head at times, I ain’t gonna lie!)
I love greens, but it seems like the current formulations of some of my stand-bys are being drenched in vetiver. I cannot wear the newer Chanel 19, for instance. Maybe they use more vet and less galbanum??
I just back from ND and they’re drowning, too. Crops were late getting in and are under water in places. Down here in the Ozarks, we’re hot and humid, but have been getting decent rain.
I LOVE that you’re still so much in love! That’s delightful! I remember that….yikes! …back in the Jurassic Era…
Most crops got in early enough that I think (hope) they can withstand whatever deluge comes their way – except our neighbors just at the bridge – the Spoon River crested and is now Lake Spoon – all over our friends’ soybeans. Doesn’t bode well for the soybeans, nor for the receding waters, since I doubt he farms organic. sigh.
if it’s not one thing, it’s another.
xoxoxoA
It was cool, sunny and fine down in Sydney today. Tomorrow will be 18C and tonight is around 5C. I quite like the cool weather, Rugging up a little bit is fun. Especially when you know it’s going to be warm tomorrow. I had a little sunbake after doing the cleaning today.
Portia xx
Sounds lovely, darling! Normally the idea of a down quilt in July is ludicrous. But guess what? I have one on the bed now…..temps will be in the 50s tonight, which is unheard of in July – normally it’s in the high 70s (at its lowest) and the only thing you are covered in (if you are in an un-AC’d room) is a fine sheen of sweat! xoxoxoA
It’s ironic, Musette, that you all are getting soaked, and down here with TS Arthur, we’re getting little baby gusts and sprinkles and that’s it! We could use more rain, but not as much as you all have up there….
My favorite weird, almost unwearable forest green thing is Ormonde Jayne Woman. I have to be in the mood for weird, usually when I’m making up some potion in my herbalist lab. A drop goes a long way, but when I’m in that kind of lone witch phase, OJW really speaks to me.
it is weird, Masha – and now it’s freaking FREEZING! I can see you witching it up with OJW! I have never been able to get with the program on OJs. Isn’t that strange? xoxoA
We’ve had a spot or two of rain here, but mostly it is humid and cloudy. I love the green though! Have a wonderful long weekend 🙂
You, too! I may be spending it indoors – it’s actually chilly out there! xoxoxoA
Here in Virginia we are having blistering hot, humid days with late afternoon and evening thunderstorms. It’s our typical summer pattern. My hat’s off to you for working in such brutal weather Musette. I look forward to seeing photos of the end results. 🙂 I love your weekend reading plans. I was completely captured by the Louise Penny mystery series that you all recommended to me, and I’ve read all nine books in the past few months. They’re so good! So I totally understand the keep-turning-pages-in-spite-of-sore-eyes thing! All housework and cooking ground to a halt when I was reading one of those books.
The Mathilde Laurent’s Les Heure Vertueuse is a green scent I’m not familiar with. Sounds intriguing. Greens and summer go together really well in my book. I’ve just about used up all of my sample of Vetiver pour Elle. I think I’ll spritz on some Chanel Sycomore today.
Sycomore is everybody’s favorite go-to green! I’m going to have to revisit it. Somehow it got lost in the 1932/Eau de Cologne Lust! Don’t thank me for Louise Penny – thank Sharon C. ’twas she who so generously gave me Miss Penny’s first book. Like you, I fell for that series hook, line and sinker. What an amazing writer!
xoxoxoxoA
We are having a draught here, crazy stuff, no rain in the rain forest during all summer, when huge rainstorms should be the rule, and now, during winter, which is supposed to be the dry season, it is dry indeed. Many of my plants died, because I can´t water them. Reservoirs are getting empty, and I wonder what will happen next as there are almost 20 million people living here. As a good ole human, however, I don´t stress too much. We are saving water as much as we can but, other than that, I have to admit I´ve been enjoying the beautiful, springtime in Paris-like days and starry nights. The cool weather is perfect for classic Guerlains, and I´m falling for Chamade. Hope mold stays away from your tomato plants, which is my usual problem here!
Yikes! A few years back we had a terrible dry spell and once my rainbarrels emptied I used a lot of greywater to keep my stuff alive. It’s supposed to get back to normal July temps next week – otherwise we will all be dealing with blossom-end rot, which will suck.
Hope you get some rain, maybe late at night, after you’ve enjoyed the starry night? xoxoxoxoA
We’ve had no rain so it’s dry. Very dry. We’re watching the hurricane though which should bring some rain later in the week. If its not raining there will be a cookout to attend on Friday afternoon. If its raining she’ll cancel it and I’ll be home on the couch reading which is fine with me.
Doll, if I could send you this rain, I would! It’s not raining now but it’s 62F, which feels like early October – and the earth and the very air is damp. I’m in a hoodie! In July! xoxoxoA, wishing for a bit of rain for you!
Discovery of Witches? Wasn’t that the book where the heroine spent 95% of her time either drinking tea or bathing (she also rowed – must have been waterlogged inside and out, poor thing)? The one that was a competent scientist and turned into a limp doormat-cum-dishcloth as soon as the hero appeared, leaving everything to him, not questioning him although he never told her what was going on, going with him on dangerous missions she never knew about…… all the while drinking tea and bathing? Not my book, sorry – I was spitting and cursing while reading and gave it away as soon as I could. Doormat heroines giving in to know-it-all heroes upset me.
Heure Vertueuse on the other hand seems to be right up my alley. I’ll have to go sniff it soon. ‘Cos green doesn’t upset me at all!
LOL! You crack me UP! I came close to thinking of her as a doormat – until I read further into the storyline. She really didn’t seem to have a lot of real experience with her ‘kind’ – and in the second book it explains a lot of that. I confess to not giving much of a damn about their burgeoning love affair – I was more interested in some of the other characters.
But yes. A LOT of water, either ingested or immersed or rowed upon.
I, too, think Vertueuse would be right up your alley. It has dirty little ‘zing’ that I think you would like – a lot!
xoxoxoA