Aromarama

What a scent-ilating idea, a paean to olfactory pleasures, some of the fall odors around the yard. Pictures will have to suffice to illustrate the story, since I've no technology by which I can transmit these marvelous sensations of smell.

I do love to eat the fresh tomatoes, straight from the garden. But I also enjoy the smell of the tomato plants. Next we have the mint which has a joyous aroma, and chewing a leaf is a refreshing experience, too.

The subtle aroma of the rose is not to be missed. Crush a petal between thumb and forefinger and inhale deeply, a fragrance that surely must permeate at least a part of heaven. (Leaving some areas for other fantastic aromas, some of which I am sure we cannot even imagine.)

The neighbors have a "hedge" of pine trees along the south and west sides of their property. These trees are quite large, topping twenty feet or more in height. When the breeze is just right, the pine smell wafts across the neighborhood. Beautiful.

Not all smells are "beautiful" though. I have next pictured the marigolds which I am told repel rabbits and other vermin when planted around a garden. BBBH likes the odor, but I'm with the rabbits. Not so much.

Also, while I think they make a wonderful fall display for the eye, I really don't enjoy the smell of chrysanthemums all that much, either.

The final picture is a Missouri gourd (cucurbita foetidissima, which, if my Latin is not faulty means "stinking gourd), the seed of which I actually got in Colorado. We let this climb over the west end of the house each summer (it comes up every year, having once planted it). It is a pleasing sight, but it stinks.

Other fall smells that are questionable: pumpkins, which make wonderful pie, but I don't really like the 'aroma' of the raw gourd; the chemicals the neighbor is laying down to enhance his lawn; the cooking of the tomatoes at the cannery, or in the kitchen.

[Happy Birthday, Grandson David]