Tis the season

We enjoy many of the organic scents of Christmas. Fresh greens and baking goodies are two favorites.


What we don't enjoy are the clouds of faux evergreen and low grade cinnamon that seem to be everywhere. We don't get too much outside time during cold weather because the cold, dry air makes us more likely to cough, and because many of our neighbors heat with wood.


The holiday scent bombs are an inside bonus. It's not just the stuff that gets sprayed, either. It seems that everywhere are small electric things that exist only to make rooms smell different. Then there are scented candles. 


Adding these to the aroma stew makes things interesting. We'll stay home as much as possible, trying to avoid another hacking holiday.

I'm an idiot

We have this huge mound of overgrown shrub in the big flower bed closest to the house. The whole bed needs work, which is on the calendar for warm winter days, but the bush is totally out of control. It's about 10 cubic feet, and most of the year is no problem.


In autumn, it blooms. Flowers are remarkably unspectacular, but the scent is heavenly.


It bothers both of us a lot. The long-term plan is to move the bush further from the front door. In the meantime, it's part of the autumn background, along with dust from harvesting soybeans and late corn, and the odor of chicken manure as it's shifted to winter storage to age for spring application. 


Yesterday, I cleaned up the herb bed, which is in the front yard to take advantage of the maximum amount of sun. The herb bed is less than 25 feet from where I was working. Today, I woke up coughing and had to use the nebulizer first thing. A few minutes ago, I realized why.


As Homer Simpson says, "DOH!"