“Remoted” – Workday 65 / Day 87 (Thursday)

Desk flowers in a juice glass.

‘Twas cloudy with wind and rain. The first big wind gusts kicked in mid-morning, and there was another round a few hours later, and it rained on and off. Moose was trembling like when a thunderstorm comes, so he got to wear his Thundershirt, which helped.

Remembering the two Bearded Irises that were permanently bent from the wind the same day they bloomed, and seeing pink petals strewn all over the street and driveways from the neighbors’ flowering something-or-other bush I don’t know the identity of, I dashed outside with scissors to cut the peonies, some of the irises, and some of the roses so I could enjoy them inside instead of seeing them blown to bits outside.

Now there are haphazard flower arrangements in the front porch, dining room, living room, bathroom, and kitchen and it looks a bit like a funeral parlor. There weren’t enough vases of the right sizes, so a juice glass and a beer mug were pressed into service, along with a baking dish to float some roses that didn’t have enough stem for the other vessels.

Peonies, irises and roses
on the porch.

In addition to the visual effect, there was an unexpected bonus from the hasty floral arrangements – I could smell them. Back around 2005(ish) most of my sense of smell vanished. I don’t recall if it was sudden or gradual, I just know one day I realized it was largely gone. Mom had a similar thing, and my medical professionals haven’t seemed at all interested in exploring it, so it’s just been an accepted fact of life since then. Nasty stuff like dog- and cat-related bodily function stinkiness, plus skunk, smoke, sulfur, and gasoline penetrate, probably the remnant of the ancient personal warning system, but the scents of flowers had been largely gone, along with some food scents. Vanilla and curry, how I miss you. Sigh.

The dining room looks wild
and I'm okay with that.

My olfactory system is not completely gone. Occasionally and randomly scents permeate my usually stuffed sinuses. Sometimes I would smell hamburgers when leaving the office downtown. Once in a  while I can smell the garlic just tossed into whatever is for dinner. When I smell something familiar and pleasant I get excited and comment on it out loud, even when alone. Although my sense of smell is greatly diminished, I can detect a nearby candle or perfume shop by the sudden throbbing of swollen sinuses (early warning system!). But today I could smell the roses and the peonies and it was really nice. The small things really can make a difference.