...Pipette:If it misfires ? Well, then it will be re-gifted (remember the Seinfeld show). :)Seriously, that happens in my family. My two sisters know when a gift has misfired with my mom when she re-gifts between them. Fortunately, this isn't an age related memory issue, it's just my mom being mom and it always elicits a laugh. :roll:

...Cryptic:Those little tabletop trees are a stroke of genius for precious elderly people who have no business climbing a stepladder with an armful of garland or a string of lights. That was a very thoughtful gift. :)Pipette, since we're good bit past Christmas I hope you don't mind if I hijack this thread for a moment. Cryptic, I feel as though I lucked out when I happened across that gift idea. It's so difficult to think of gifts for parents/grandparents as they age. As the elderly become less mobile their lives occupy a smaller footprint and they simply don't want or need more stuff. Combine that with individual health issues and it can be difficult to come up with meaningful gift ideas. But that doesn't mean older folks are beyond the joy of being splurged on. What are some gift ideas that have worked out well for the rest of you?

...Cryptic:Ella.Rocky Horror Picture Show or This is Spinal Tap?This is Spinal Tap!Beatles: John or Paul?

...Sherapop:I was reminded of them during a recent stop at TJMaxx, where I saw some of their lotions for sale.My impression is that they are similar to Molinard in France: Not as well regarded as Fragonard, but still with a history of perfume making.Or maybe a better comparison would be to Floris? :?We own quite a few of Pecksniff's scented candles purchased from TJMaxx and Marshall's. The fragrances range from realistic, natural scents -'Fir and Juniper'- to more composed, perfume like fragrances -'Leather and Oakmoss'. They aren't the quality of say, Diptyque candles, but much higher quality than most of the cheap mainstream candle manufacturers. Sounds to me like Molinard/Fragonard may be an apt comparison if Pecksniff's perfumes follow suit.

...Memory foam... after a torturous night's sleep on a traditional mattress.Martini: Gin or vodka?

...And I thought the 20th/21st century perfume question was a minefield. Can I choose both of them? I can't? OK, this time I'll take the least pragmatic answer......BillKosher dill or bread and butter pickles?

...dogspoetry or prose?

...I know this is heresy to say but there's no going back so out of necessity I'll pick 21st century. I know, way too pragmatic :( Hey, all you vintage diehards, don't start yelling at me all at once! :wink: Lemon or lime?

...Cryptic:Over the holidays our dog chewed open a garbage bag and trash picked the turkey carcass. What a fartfest we had to suffer through that night. Come to think of it, that wasn't funny at all except maybe for the dog.Oooh, dogs and gamey poultry make for a hideous methane combination. What makes it even worse is that dog poots tend to be of the "silent but deadly" variety so you get smacked without warning.Pipette, I have a friend whose parents are depression era children who can't let go of the frugal ways learned living through the depression as well as WWII rationing. They buy the cheapest paper napkins available and then tear them in half for each guest...

...My elderly parents have become quite frail so this year they decided it would be too difficult to put up a Christmas tree. I felt guilty that I couldn't be with them to celebrate the holidays, much less help decorate the house. Then I remembered seeing an ad from L.L. Bean for a live, beautifully decorated, table top Christmas tree so I had one shipped to them. When I received email notification that the tree had been delivered I called my mom to make sure it had arrived in good shape. She seemed confused and said, "A Christmas tree? No, nothing like that came today. The only package that arrived today was your dad's medical supplies, nothing else. I had the UPS man put it in the front hall closet " Knowing my mom can be a little scatter-brained I told her she should go check the box to make sure it wasn't actually from L.L. Bean.When she returned to the phone she said, "Oh, you were right, it is from L.L. Bean! You know, when I signed for the package I thought it was odd there was a picture of a Christmas tree on your dad's shipment of catheters."

...Hmm, for some people asthma is, in part, psychosomatic so the cure might be......psychosomatic! An article from NPR about the potential of using odor to treat asthma.

...Cryptic, I had never heard this Shotakovich quartet. The moto perpetuo quality of that particular movement reminded me of one of my favorite pieces by Hindemith for solo viola. This is not a great recording of the piece but you'll get the connection. Actually, this is the piece Lady Grey played to win her spot in the orchestra. Lady Grey sounded way better than this 19 year old lioness 8) http://youtu.be/6rROjyNmnIA

...SysD, it was tough to find a least favorite, you've got some interesting fragrances...Fave: "Eau des Merveilles"Least fave: "Brit for Women (Eau de Parfum)"

...MiaFavorite: "Joy"Least favorite: "Gris Clair..."

...Cincy:OMG Grey, come visit with me. Hotter then hell here. Bring your Aquavit bottle, can't find the brand anywhere that you gave me.Actually, I miss the upper midwest. I know, people think I'm nuts every time I say it but I grew up outdoors and desperately miss every season. Yeah, even winter. As one of my favorite writers, Kevin Kling says, "When you freeze paradise it's bound to last a little longer." I'd move back in a heartbeat. I'll send you a quick note about the aquavit.

...I've never stopped by Photo of the Day so I clicked in and was admiring the incredible photos -Cryptic and Mia's equestrian photos and Cincy sighing over Sorceress' advertisement- when I came across Dulce's post: Dulcemio:http://www.aol.com/article/2014/02/14/the-great-lakes-are-almost-completely-covered-with-ice/20830737/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D443147#!slide=2429499THAT'S how cold it is. And I learned the Great Lakes make up about 1/5 of the world's surface fresh water. Wow.Dulce, the ice is still there on Lake Superior. It's broken up, but rafting with the wind and currents and piling up in the bays and harbors. I took this photo last week -May 20- while we were visiting family. My sister took the second picture.

...Sweetgrass:Greysolon, I can confirm that in a cold and dry climate "Chamade" smells kinda flat and reminds me of old makeup more than any celebrated perfume. Humidity and temperature do affect perfume, some scents just open up in warmer weather and more humid climates and I think that's why a lot of famous green scents are just flat of even noxious here.Thanks, Sweetgrass. That I went from swooning over my wife when she wore Chamade to saying, "Uh, what are you wearing?" was just weird.Sweetgrass:Edit: oh that was a deleted user trying to start some shit... never mind It's alive... Thankfully, I think we've been saved. :shock:

...Omni: Jovan's white musk became popular then. We all wore it at some stageJovan is one of my favorite fragrance memories from my teens. The cool, hip girls wore Jovan, the nice girls wore Wind Song. Both perfumes still make me break out in a sweat :D

...I certainly agree, Triffid, but I've never perceived such a variation and I travel a good bit. It's just a curious thing because some of the changes we experienced seemed counterintuitive to what one would expect. Kind of a "first world" problem anyway :roll: :wink: The atmospheric quality of the region around Lake Superior is mountain-like in the sense that it's drier and very clear. I sunburn there -when the sun is actually shining- in an instant. Here in the southeast the air has lots of particulates and haze and, of course, humidity. I can be outside in the blazing sun with little effect. With that in mind you'd think that would correlate to longevity being predictably longer or shorter but it wasn't the case. Like I said, it was just a curious thing.

...My wife and I were just up in northern Minnesota on vacation and found that several of our fragrances took on a noticeably different scent than we experience at home here in the southeastern US. I suppose there are many variables that could account for the perceived change, everything from change of diet, chemical make up of the water (e.g. higher/lower chlorine content), air quality and humidity, but I've never experienced anything quite like this before. My wife typically radiates "Chamade" beautifully but while up north it was flat and had a noticeable talcum quality. When I wear "Derby" at home it's quite mellow and its longevity is average. Up north it became rather sharp and strong and it lasted much longer. I didn't like it so much. On the other hand, "Fille en aguille" seemed to have a richer palette of notes and "L'Âme d'un Héros" took on a sharper more focused quality. As much as I like "L'Âme d'un Héros" at home, I liked it even more in MN. Has anybody else experienced this geographical conundrum?