I don’t know if I’ve ever told you about The One. My First. Probably because I am a Perpetual Perfume Virgin and there are always ‘firsts’ in perfumery, right?! My first ‘First’ was the vaunted Mitsouko – but I really didn’t get it until I came upon a vial of vintage Mitsouko perfume via Surrender to Chance. Unlike all the other, fabulous Mitsoukos, this One literally took my breath away with its power and complexity and smoothness. Until I sniffed that One I’d just assumed that all Mitsoukos, however gorgeous, would have that slightly metallic Gasoline punch to the face (that’s not a bad thing, btw).
My next One was a vinty No5. Well and of course, right? 2008. I’ve sniffed countless No5 parfums. Countless. That 2008 blew me away! Again with the smoothness. I am no historian and I am certainly no chemist so I can’t ascertain if there is a ‘smooth molecule’ that exists in vintages and not least because not all vintages are smooth (some of the other vintage Mitsoukos, for example, don’t have a smooth bone in their bottles!)
The One that trumps all The Ones, though. My leetle gift from Carol (WAFT by Carol) of a vintage Coty Chypre. Again with the ‘countless’ – but this one? Oh, myyy. It’s like your first taste of a perfect chocolate or that first kiss you get from Idris Elba or that first Graff diamond. It was in a package with another perfume and, somewhat absentmindedly, I popped the top on the vial, dabbed a bit…and…I still remember that moment. I gasped out an ‘oh!’ and just sat there, gobsmacked, trying to figure out how to unscramble my heart!
So! It’s the Bouncy-Minded Musette here – Tom is still wonky from that face-plant he took so he’s not sniffing or testing or nuthin’! He’s bemoaning the sameness of ‘delivery pizza’ – ha! Where I live, the only ‘delivery’ we get is the Schwann’s truck. But his concussion is mild, so he expects to be back in the saddle forthwith.
So, in the meantime, lemme tell you about my garden. It is both a delight and a freaking MESS! We have had unseasonably warm temps, followed by seasonably cold temps so a lot of flowering stuff is just confused. I have roses in full leaf next to irises that are all ‘what the hell?’ and only 3″ out of the ground. Narcissus are holding their own, beautifully. 2 years ago my friends at Sunnyfield Greenhouse wanted to get rid of a rugosa that was sucking up all the space at their pond – I said ‘rip that dawg outta there. I’ll take it!’ – well along with the gorgeous rugosa came some of the loveliest, butteriest narcissus I’ve ever seen! Deeeep butter yellow (almost egg yolk yellow) with an orange cup, they are a vibrant introduction to the growing season.
I’ve only had a few minutes to enjoy them, though, as I am building a retaining wall. We got some of those professional,don’tchaknow interlocking blocks – a stellar find on one of the sales lists – but O.M.G. each block weighs nearly 75 pounds. Seventy Five Pounds. I only had to put 10 in for the back wall (our intern did the long wall. He is no longer speaking to me, alas). It nearly killed me. Then…..then…when I went to put the caps on? I realized I’d put those dagnabit things in UPSIDE DOWN. So. 75 lbs x10x2 = Oh, how I hate you, interlocking stones! But I stopped swearing, dried my tears, got them right the second time and then had a nice glass of wine to celebrate.
Today was Don’t Chop Up the Borage Day. Veg garden needed a lot of work so I set to it – right before I brought my hoe crashing down on a row I took a look and…omgosh. I have the cutest little borage leaves just coming up. Borage is a Very Useful Plant, great herbal companion for tomatoes and if you are in menopause (I am) or Just Plain Mean (ditto) a cup of borage tea or a borage oil capsule may be the thing standing between you and a SWAT team. And it smells so cool and pretty – I’m surprised there aren’t borage-based perfumes! If there are I’m surprised I don’t know about them. I dunno if topical application would work but it would be worth a try and keep me out of the pokey for yet another day (my neighbors are giving me reason to fantasize about RPGs).
All in all, it’s a lovely Spring! This month is dedicated to hardscaping and prep, enjoying the 60-degree days, watching my neighbors chatting as they walk their horses down the street under dappled sunlight. Not a bad way to spend April!
So…how are you spending your April? Tell me stories. I will have Miss Banana poke a pawnail at random and we’ll pull a couple of names for samples from the still-Messy Armoire. I’ve been extremely good about actually getting the stuff out! So! yakk away at me! Let me know how you’ve been and what you’re up to!
Borage! I bought some just a few weeks ago, after a talk on growing herbs. (I have kept a pot of rosemary alive for four months now---three-and-a-half months longer than my previous record--so I decided it was time to expand my horizons.) The Master Gardener who spoke claimed that borage is in fact useful in topical application, for reducing pain and promoting healing. If I remember correctly, it was also mentioned in Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam trilogy as one of the plants sustaining the remnants of humanity. So I thought I'd better get some, just in case. I also bought some Moldavian Dragonhead Balm, as the label touted it as making tea that would "lighten a discouraged heart." (My heart has been a bit discouraged lately.) Tom seems to be having a rough year. He may need some borage, and possibly some Dragonhead Balm tea.