It's (Teapot) Tuesday and World Fair Play Day. Birthdays: Johns Hopkins, Malcolm X, Nora Ephron, Grace Jones. What fragrance are you wearing?
We're expecting a scorcher of a day here. I'm in Eau de Guerlain. Tea at the moment is Traditional Medicinals Rose Hips & Hibiscus.
Reminder: 5/23 will be Recommendation Friday...recommend a favorite song, show, movie or book (or any form of entertainment, really) and match a scent to your pick, or to one of the characters, or whatever. Adapted from a recommendation by therabbitsflower.
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2026, where I'll try (but usually fail) to have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: the Aquazzura Jaipur porcelain teapot ("Aquazzura's Jaipur collection was created through a love of travel, pattern, geometry, and adventure. The floral motifs are inspired by ancient temple drawings, paired with chevrons and stripes for a contemporary layered tabletop twist. Jaipur evokes the scents and atmospheres of a journey to India, one of Edgardo Osorio's most-loved destinations") is $330 at Saks Fifth Avenue.
It’s spring turning into summer weather (high of 25°C today, sunny with clouds), the lilacs are going to flower in the next couple of days, and I am feeling particularly seasonal in Ô de Lancôme, so green and citrusy-fresh. I still can’t believe they discontinued it.
It’s crazy, the flankers look so much less appealing.
What?!? O de Lancome has been axed?
What!
I’m in the last vestiges of SHL 777 Taklamakan. Enjoyed it so much the other day and it was so windy, rainy, and cold last night it seemed the perfect choice. It was so double dang (using that in lieu of stronger verbiage!) busy at work the facility had to go on divert. The best thing about the entire shift was me huffing myself when no one was looking. 🙃
I’ll throw another poem at the room today. I wish people would read poetry more often. It’s not inaccessible. It’s not a test. It doesn’t have to mean one thing and not the other. You don’t have to figure it out. You just have to feel it.
So, Jane Hirshfield is another favorite of mine and I had several of her books before I went mobile. Here’s a short one, spare and reminiscent of haiku but a bit extra.
Have a great Tuesday, tea or coffee, it’s all good.
Things keep sorting themselves.
BY JANE HIRSHFIELD
Does the butterfat know it is butterfat,
milk know it’s milk?
No.
Something just goes and something remains.
Like a boardinghouse table:
men on one side, women on the other.
Nobody planned it.
Plaid shirts next to one another,
talking in accents from the Midwest.
Nobody plans to be a ghost.
Later on, the young people sit in the kitchen.
Soon enough, they’ll be the ones
to stumble Excuse me and quickly withdraw.
But they don’t know that.
No one can ever know that.
But they don’t know that — truth!!
I had to look up what it means when a facility goes on divert. Yikes! I hope the rest of your week is less eventful and double dang-y!
This poem went right to my old tired heart.
I probably missed it but I didn’t know you were back working. I hope today goes better.
I’m trying not to complain about it. Obviously, not successful on that front…🙃
Twins in Taklamakan!
For this CP, I’m choosing The Case of the Golden Idol and The Rise of the Golden Idol – strange, clever, darkly funny detective games where every scene is a little tableau of greed, murder, secrets and bad decisions. You don’t chase suspects; you stare at the aftermath, rummage through clues, and work out exactly who did what, to whom, and why.
I’m wearing Dior Tendre Poison for all those poisonings.
Nice matching as always Glannys! And those do sound fun.
Excellent work, Glannys.
& beautiful teapot, Robin. It’s called Jaipur…hmmm. Will someone wear Boucheron Jaipur today? Maybe it will be meeeee. I shall sit with this idea awhile.
It will have to be you because I haven’t got any!
I’ll join you in Jaipur!
Yesterday I paired Songes with the song Fade into You
I am still in Songes and pairing it with the song and video
Wicked Game
Here is the video https://youtu.be/jd-qI62gNJM?si=8xOeOswksvzmrKtJ
Tea is French Breakfast by MF
Great match and great video!
They were both so young! Helena and Chris
Awesome 90’s vibe to your music picks!
Wearing Cheirosa 62 today. For some reason, I kind of list interest in Infusion d’iris as a work scent. I think I will wear Kyoto for the CP on Friday
I do love IdI but it isn’t always enough cheer for a work day?
I had a root canal at 7 am so the day can only improve. I’m getting a haircut after growing out my hair for the past two years. It’s chin-length and just hangs there, and I am too lazy to use a blow dryer and product to change it. So I will go back to a shorter cut, a blend of shag and pixie that lets my natural wave do what it wants. SOTD is Sarrasins, but on my stomach so I don’t gas the stylist out.
Wow, root canal + haircut is an odd combination, but if you’re still up for and able to go get the haircut, then good for you! I hope your hair turns out well and that you like it. Ha ha about the Sarrasins. Now you’ll have a purple tummy!
Yes, the root canal was kind of an emergency thing. The hair appointment has been on the books for 8 weeks!
Getting out of bed for a root canal is a bit grim but I’m glad you could get it sorted quickly. Good luck with the haircut. Growing out a cut is such a bore so I hope your bixie/ pixie/ shag is a winner.
No fun with the root canal but I will say they have greatly improved since 30 years ago!
You wouldn’t gas me out, foxbins, you smell wonderful.
The best way have a dental appointment is first thing in the morning and get it DONE! 💪 I hope the tooth issue wasn’t related to the oral damage sustained when you had your fall in the not too distant past. I know you were worried then about losing a couple of teeth. I’m tired of my mid length hair too, and am looking to get a short shag that needs minimal (like ZERO) attention…hope things went well at both places. 🦷
Ewwwwwww. Root canals are never pleasant. Hope your recovery is quick and uneventful.
Trying Reflets d’Ambre today and getting tons of jasmine in the opening so far which I had not expected. 🤔 I may have tried Ciel de Gum years ago but don’t remember it much. Will update w/ more thoughts later. 🚂
And I have not tried either so will await your thoughts 🙂
https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/fiction/a-case-of-matricide-by-graeme-macrae-burnet/
For the CP I’m recommending a police procedural/ thriller called The Case of Matricide written by Scottish Booker shortlisted novelist Graeme Macrae Burnet . In an introduction Burnett claims the novel was written by a French author , never published but found before the author’s suicide ( but that’s a tease, really, though parallels exist between the “ novelist” and protagonist). The setting is the border area between France and Switzerland ( Strasbourg/ Basel) and a small town where an inspector named Gorski is investigating several suspicious events, and murder. The inhabitants in the town are written with such skill that it’s more of a deep, complex character study and unpicking of small town life, and daily habits. It’s so well written, almost dreamlike in places. This is the third book in a trilogy but the only one I’ve read and it is a standalone book. It’s terrific…literary rather than sensational/ cliched. Wearing Fiele Myrrha today because it’s cold and Myrrha is cosy.
Thank you! I own Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau but have not read it yet, I should step on it. I think the one you read is a sequel? Must investigate more.
I think you can read it as a standalone book ( as I did) but it’s the last in the series so it will build on the characters from previous books.
Hi, all. I was AWOL for several days while we camped at Lake Chelan (in Washington state). A gorgeous long, narrow lake (it’s so clear!) and the third deepest freshwater lake in the country, actually. We attended the Wine and Jazz Festival, kayaked, hiked and had a really good time. I wore some light spritzes of Reve en Cuir.
Today I am in Santal Calling by Ex Nihilo (sample). I’ll recommend Derry Girls on Netflix even though I don’t have a connection with my SOTD. Five teenagers who attend a Catholic high school in northern Ireland and the comic scrapes they get into, all juxtaposed against the “troubles” of the 1990s. All the characters are so well done.
Your trip sounds wonderful and something I’d really enjoy. Have never been to the Pacific Northwest but really hope to one day!
Come on out!
Cool information about Lake Chelan!
I overslept this morning so my daughter missed the bus. I had to drive her to school before heading to work.
I wanted something cheerful so I am wearing No.5 L’eau. I didn’t know the cp earlier so I don’t have a recommendation right now.
It looks like it’s about to storm here.
In my book, oversleeping is better than insomnia.
Agreed!
Scent twins lillyjo! We smell great.
Hello twin!👋
My brother and I had our own alarm clocks growing up. We were responsible for setting them and getting up for school. I don’t even want to think of what would have happened if we had overslept.
Our Grandmother lived with us and never ever let us sleep in for anything! Lol.
I’m wearing SHL 777’s Taklamakan. It’s a wonderfully evocative place name, and I was delighted to see that I flying over the Taklamakan desert on my flight from Rome to Hong Kong a couple of weeks ago.
Hi twin! 👋🏼
Wearing Chanel No. 19 edt. Over the weekend I was in Bronze Goddess and Kiehl’s Musk (on separate days). All of these fragrances have been neglected for awhile so it was nice to have them out for a spin.
Gail, I have all three of those and mine are neglected too, I’ll wear Kiehl’s later. Thanks for the reminder!
No. 19 in any form is always right!
SOTD = Guerlain Tobacco Honey
You would think that it won’t work in this really hot 🥵 and somewhat humid day, but indeed it worked!
In other news, I used to work at a library while in college (~ 2 years) so any articles about libraries hold my interest. This gift article from the New York Times discusses libraries:
https://www.nytimes.com/card/2026/05/18/us/waiting-for-the-best-seller-inside-the-pipeline-that-stocks-the-stacks?unlocked_article_code=1.jlA.ZRT2.SS5pSisxuys3&smid=nytcore-ios-share
Wearing a perfume with honey during a heat wave? That’s brave!!
Well I didn’t end up wearing Jaipur after all, my hand went to Dior Homme instead, which has such a makeup girly vibe to me for something labeled ‘homme.’ But after showering, I have picked out a scent to go with one of my fave noir books, if it can even be called noir: They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? by Horace McCoy, published in 1935 and reads as urgent, modern, gripping, sad, beautiful, and doomed as a century earlier. Only about 125 pages long and stabs like a stiletto to my heart each time I read it. I’m going with Encre Noire for the salty dark sinister ocean that prowls and growls below the ballroom where the dance marathon takes place and to me, is a metaphor for the malignance all around them waiting to pounce. (This was way before beach culture romanticized the beach, surf, sand. None of the noir authors painted the beach as friendly or benevolent). The climax of the book occurs outside the ballroom late at night on the pier and that’s when we find out what the title means.
I remember the movie, which made a big impression on me, but I don’t know if I ever realized it was based on a book.
The last of our warm, humid, threat-of-storms days today; thus far a high of 79 F. with some rain but tomorrow they say we won’t get out of the 50’s. If I didn’t have a calendar I’m not sure I’d know what month it is this Spring with all the see-sawing!
SOTD is YR Vanilla Garden, which was a Christmas release a few years ago that was a GWP. It’s actually a light vanilla with orange and blackberry notes; nothing wintry about it at all, nor nothing garden-y either. But pleasant and perfectly suitable for Spring.
Earlier I saw ‘Springstein: Deliver Me From Nowhere’ at my library. It chronicles his personal struggle with depression and professional difficulties during his conception of the 1982 album, ‘Nebraska.’ Well done and Jeremy Allen White was excellent as Bruce. Looking forward to tonight’s monthly Green Drinks get-together featuring dark skies and how our light at night alters our world. If I had to scent both the film and tonight’s topic, I’d go with Ghost Deep Night.
Have a Good Night!🌖🌗🌘
One last haiku for me:
Two medications
One unhappy Teflon kitty
She still comes for pets.
Another cloudy day, with temperatures well below what is typical for this time of year. Things are looking up for the Memorial Day weekend in my area, though. My brother is working then, so no plans to get together and grill.
SOTD = still in TF Oud Wood.
Sorry you don’t get to grill. You guys always seem to have something delicious on the menu.
A virtual pet to TK!
I forgot to wear any perfume today, amazingly, before I went out to buy needed cat supplies and then ate a wonderful sandwich on crusty bread at a local Italian place. Once back home I applied, again, some from my sample of Ormaie Yvonne, this time the EdP, which I do like, but it’s going to lose out to the Elixir (which is worse for my wallet, though).
Yesterday I visited a favorite local place and found some fun, not-too-expensive jewelry and bought a necklace and earrings. The designer is an Indian-American woman and the jewelry is all 18K vermeil with small champagne diamonds, resin, and/or diamond slices. It’s sparkly, fun, and pretty. shanagulati.com (no affiliation, of course).
I took a plunge and bought a membership in one of the local YMCA’s and am in the process of booking a private trainer, at least to get me started. Exercise-wise, I’m a total blob. When I explained to the woman on the phone all my surgeries and my age and asked “Is it hopeless?” she was very encouraging and said, “Oh no, yesterday I spoke to a woman who is 77 and just had knee surgery and a hip replacement, and she’s joining up too.” I hope I meet her!
I’ve just read three novels in a row by the Korean novelist/poet Han Kang, Nobel Laureate. I somewhat hesitate to recommend them because they are weird, depressing, and/or brutal. Nor do I (yet) have any idea of how one might scent them. But they’re memorable and hard to get out of your head. I read The Vegetarian, Human Acts, and Greek Lessons; the last is my favorite. I’ll try to think of a recommendation by Friday.