n. — an olfactory hallucination, or a phantom odor; smelling an odor that is not actually there
Often associated with stroke. The opposite of what I had last week.
Stapelia gigantea. This baby measures 10" across. That the flower is that little dot in the center. The rest the split bud. In case you can’t tell, it’s hairy.
And dammit to hell, I just lost an entire post because once again I foolishly tried to load a photo—well, I loaded it, but met my doom while trying to size it. Today’s takeaways: (a) I still don’t know how to do the most elementary things anyone with a blog should be able to do, and (b) there’s no “undo” feature. This is far worse.
OK, I’m still harping on the Mouse in the Fridge Incident. Because there are always upsides.
Upside 1: I believe I mentioned a growing skill with wet dishcloths. I am now sniper grade. When I aim, I hit. I agree with you (I know what you’re thinking)—life is so sad when this is something to write home about. But my life seems to have become very small of late.
Upside upside: I no longer have to demonstrate my skills, as with the help of my spider minions, I have eradicated the lot.
Upside 2: Putrescene and cadaverine. Such lovely words. And as amino acids, also associated, though thank God in far, far, far smaller concentrations, with my beloved stapeliads, also known as carrion flowers. So named because they are pollinated by flies and dab Eau de Putrêcin et Cadaverin liberally behind their petals to get the business done. (Ha. I got to use the words putrescene and cadaverine again.) I had a gigantea (see above) next to the window in our Brooklyn apartment—you want to have these things as close to the windows as possible when they bloom—and the screen looked like the line outside Fly Studio 54.
The ones I have now (varieties pictured here) were inherited from a friend who moved across the country. I’m nursing them anxiously, but they are still too small to flower.
The original gigantea was stolen from our porch in Warren (Bastards. I’m still furious. Clearly they also attract vermin other than flies).
Such is the nature of crime in this town. Plant stealing. Forging quarters. Scratching the word “Nerd” on a plate glass window with a diamond ring. (Last two classics from the Warren Times-Gazette police blotter.) Also erratic driving. Although how they distinguish it from everyday practice in Rhode Island, I have no idea. But that is a story for another day.