Friday, July 25, 2008

Gone fishin'

So it's our 20th anniversary on the 6th of August... and we are going on a cruise to Alaska to celebrate.

I cannot tell you how excited I am!

No posts for a couple weeks, probably, but then expect pictures and stories. :)

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

All this used to be orange fields!

So... I know I haven't been posting much -- it's because I have 1) been perfuming in my spare moments and 2) studying for my life and health insurance exam, which I passed, and 3) being more active in Amtgard, and 4) preparing for a cruise to Alaska for my 20th anniversary, and finally, 5) getting ready for April & Troy's wedding on August 16th. None of it except perfuming and the exam really takes time, but they do absorb my creativity and daydreams, and it does add up!

Regarding perfuming: I have tinkered, experimented, and made monstrosities, and I am having fun doing more. I have even experimented with different storage methods for my raw materials: the answer is NOT refrigeration, as even high-temp refrigeration has a weird damping effect upon citrus EOs and hardens some absolutes (and a few EOs, such as sweet fennel). I think the cycle of chill/warm will be more damaging than simply warm weather deterioration, in the long term.

I am not as bad at perfuming as I was when I started... and that's nice! In the absence of formal training, I am opting for exhaustive experimentation...

Anyway, I am having some success with one of my blends. I am calling it "all this used to be orange fields" for now, but like all of my working titles, it's temporary and silly. It is a blend of orange blossom, birch tar, and tangerine with lots of other good stuff making it soft and cozy.

Rest in peace, sweet Kozmo Kirby

Go read about Kozmo on Tiff's blog, if you want to see his sweet eulogy. He was a sweet ducky and will be missed.

She has a little memorial fund that will go to fund the rescue and rehoming of other abandoned waterfowl. If you are needing some good karma for the day, consider PayPal-ing over a couple bucks. As Tiff says, "it's for a good Koz."