A Serious Smell-Fest

That's what I had this evening. Heavy rain was coming in and I kept hovering around the deck in the dark, wondering how the roses would fare. The blossoms were getting misted and closing a bit because a cold front was moving in. I finally made the decision to cut the two newly-bloomed Pat Austin and Fair Bianca blossoms. It's amazing what a difference just three roses makes to an entire deck. Having no roses in bloom on the deck is a very sad thing to me. It's like all my honored guests left. Fortunately, more roses are on the way.

I put the roses in a mug of water but they kept trying to get away, wanting to sink, swim or jump out because the stems were too short. The only vases I had that would hold up the roses were cordials.

I lined the three cordials all in a row - one Pat Austin, one Fair Bianca, another Pat Austin, and the little cup of Blush Noisettes which were fading fast but still had a heavenly scent. Then I sniffed them one at a time, over and over.

There's a right way to smell a rose.
1. There can't be onions in a skillet nearby, garlic in your teeth or chlorox in the tub. No scented candles either. In other words, no smellular distractions.
2. Don't answer the phone. In other words, no cellular distractions.
3. It's nice to put some music on that you really like. Slow selections are best so you don't end up hyperventilating on a rose.
4. If the roses are cold and wet, wait till they dry; the fragrance will be stronger.
5. Take is slow.
6. Most important of all, don't plan on what you'll smell. Don't think "Oh, this is just a rose so it will smell like a rose." If you do that, you'll miss out completely. There is so much depth to a real, rare, homegrown fragrant rose. If you predict what you'll smell, your mind will manipulate the truth and you might end up thinking you're holding a bar of cheap soap.
7. Pick up a rose and hold it so close that the velvety petals kiss your nose
8. Close your eyes and slowly, deeply, inhale.

Some people hardly breathe at all. That's not good for the health! Not breathing is even more unproductive if you want to smell something. To inhale properly, your whole abdomen and chest should move and fill with air. If you're not used to inhaling deeply, you'll feel an uncomfortable tightness as the lungs stretch out more than they're accustomed. Try it, it feels good. To smell a rose, the whole abdomen and chest should expand as you inhale slowly through your nose. Move the rose aside and exhale through your mouth. Relax. Repeat. Keep relaxing and repeating.

It's best to have two or more different kinds of roses, smelling them one at time, savoring each fragrance. Spicy, fruity, cloves and anise, sugary sweet and green tea. Warm and musky, sensuous and sharp.

Tonight as I smelled the Blush Noisette, I remembered something. It was a memory so vague and far away that it actually startled me. I was young and walking around a house, a very old house, that had chipped paint on the white siding. The hot, afternoon sun made the house look hazy and there was a white picket fence. Growing against the house was a trellis covered thickly with the most glorious scented, pale pink roses. I remember stopping and standing by those roses.

The Blush Noisette fragrance brought back a memory I didn't even know was there. I don't remember where the house was or how old I was. But the smell of those old roses long ago left an indelible imprint and I'm ecstatic to have it back.