I have made it a practice to look for the good in all situations and I have found a great deal of good in the home I am now living in. However, with summer in full swing it is taking some effort to ignore the tremendous noise made by the huge tractor trailers, RV’s, pickup trucks, and motorcycles that continuously pass in the street below my windows. When the windows are opened, the sound is amplified, but the fumes bother me even more. These odors, accompanied with those from lawn mowers, cigarette smokers, herbicides that have been recently sprayed, and manure from the nearby cattle ranches, are far stronger than the scents being released from the flowers and herbs growing in my garden. In these instances I am grateful for the nearly constant wind that keeps them moving.
Nature has provided us with so many delicious smells, but they are often overwhelmed by the intrusive odors of our modern lifestyles. They simply cannot compete with the manmade fumes that assault our sense of smell on a regular basis. One thing that I have never understood is how a woman can bathe in luxurious scented soaps, shampoo her hair in exotic herb infused formulas, apply perfume, use mouthwash, and then light up a cigarette. What is the point? I often wonder how insects can find the foods they need, or even find a mate, when their survival depends so much on their sense of smell. The stench of asphalt, motor oil, car exhaust, chemicals, and even dryer sheets, must certainly confuse them at times. I love brushing up next to the herbs growing in my garden so that their wonderful essence is released. Bergamot is one of my favorites along with basil and dill. I like to put my face in the middle of the agastache which smells reminiscent of anise. In a couple of months I will gather my herbs and hang them upside down from the rafter in my living room to dry. Then I will be able to enjoy their scents well into the winter.
I do my best to prevent the unpleasant odors from disturbing my sense of tranquility and I am grateful that all I need do is walk into my garden where I can fill my lungs with nature’s sweet and intoxicating fragrances.
