Monday, January 28, 2013

You Can't Take it With You...( Or, What in Gawd's Name is That Stench?)

Do you miss your horses when you go away on business or vacation? What do you do to keep them close to you while you are away? Do you have pictures on your smartphone or tablet? Wear a favorite item of clothing or jewelry to remind you of your equine passion?

This week I left home for a conference my industry was holding in Orlando, FL. I have a gazillion pics of the ponies on my phone and iPad, so I was covered there. I packed my favorite horse print pajamas, and on the way out the door to the airport I grabbed my new barn jacket. I'd only worn it to the barn twice, so I figured it would have a little bit of that yummy horse smell to remind me of home without offending everyone on the plane.

Is that moving from just weird into "get that girl a huggie jacket" territory?

So there I was, standing in the TSA line at Newark airport minding my one business, vaguely registering that there was a very a annoyed woman complaining about every damn thing under the sun. I managed to ignore her until she turned towards me, flared her nostrils, and said. "My Gawd, what is that stench?" I assumed she was referring to me, which I found ironic as she was sporting so much perfume I was forced to mouth breathe and my eyes were watering.

In an attempt to diffuse the situation I started singing the John Lennon song "Imagine." You know, the one where it says " Imagine all the people, living life in peace." It worked. My horse infused jacket and I made it through TSA and on to our destination without further issue.

That night I did my client dinner and reception and then went back to the hotel. I got into my horsey pajamas, only to realize I'd forgotten toothpaste. So, off I trundled down to the lobby market in full horsey PJ regalia. Needless to say, I got more than a few funny looks.

I went back up to my room, snuggled up in bed with my jacket, and took a nice deep breathe of horse and barn while I scrolled through a few pics of my family and horses on my phone.

Weirder than fiction? Or perfectly rational horse woman behavior?


4 comments:

  1. Well if it is weird - I'm signing up to join you. I think it's one of the nicest smells in the world. And I can almost feel a tiny touch of pity for those people who never discover how lovely it is to lift your horse's mane and squash your nose against his neck (or her's!) just to breathe in that warm, lovely, friendly smell.
    Oh yes - I'm obviously well on my way to a huggie jacket as well - don't mind a bit, so long as it smells of horse!

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  2. Well..... I ended up telling hubby that he had two choices; decide that 'eau de equine' was a terrific scent and aphrodisiac or................. I wash up quite well when I get home from the barn, but don't always have time (or the desire) to shower completely, and the scent is always stuck somewhere on the body from the long hugs I steal from Pippi. Sometimes when I snuggle in at night I smell her as I curl my arm under my pillow, and I smile.

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  3. I'm convinced that horse + leather would be an aphrodisiacal (made up word?) cologne for men. It would snag me anyway. ;D

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  4. I always miss the farm when I go away! No place like home.

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