Sweet

The shortest day has passed, and whatever nastiness of weather we may look forward to in January and February, at least we notice that the days are getting longer.  Minute by minute they lengthen out.  It takes some weeks before we become aware of the change.  It is imperceptible even as the growth of a child, as you watch it day by day, until the moment comes when with a start of delighted surprise we realize that we can stay out of doors in a
twilight lasting for another quarter of a precious hour.

 Vita Sackville-West
 

Around Valentine's Day, blooming jasmines show up in the stores. They're about $15 and worth every penny for the fragrance. These are tender Zone 9 babies, but you can sometimes keep them going by covering the pots on freezing nights. They are basically tropicals, and won't grow in the chilly ground here. Finicky things, they need strong outdoor light and don't make good houseplants either.

I put the pot the bedroom at night for the heavenly fragrance.  We keep the door closed because of the noisy refrigerator, so the smell is intensely lovely by morning.  Almost like sleeping in a garden.

There's a whole aisle at the grocery store devoted to scented candles and all sorts of air fresheners. Our houses must be very stinky indeed. That's interesting, because using personal fragrance has become a social no-no. Women once were proud of their signature scent, and I've always loved Oscar de la Renta perfume, a light floral.  Now I'm afraid to wear it most places.

Medical offices are "fragrance fee" zones, ditto auditoriums. Sometimes in the restroom line at the Symphony, I hear people complain about the awful "stench" of perfume in the hall. Oh, dear. Hopefully not me.  Not that long ago, our social gatherings must have reeked of cigarette smoke and perfume.  Anyway, nothing compares to the natural scent of jasmine in a winter house.