The perfume Chaparral is not a reference to the creosote bush, Larrea tridentata, which sometimes goes by many name chaparral, as well as greasewood and la gobernadora. I named the fragrance after the California biome distinguished by wet winters, hot summers and drought-tolerant shrub land. This biome is also found in the Mediterranean, South America, Australia… Continue reading The alchemical trinity of Chaparral
Tag: Quercus agrifolia
Oak Tree Circle
Yesterday, just as I was about to head off to the perfumery a gardener with a chain saw almost starting going at the oaks on the neighboring lot. We were able to fend off the fellow by taking photos and calling the police. Since I’m not sure if this method of protection will be sustainable… Continue reading Oak Tree Circle
Celtic Tree Month of Oak
I’ve been diligently finalizing my paper for the proceedings of my presentation titled “The Tree of Life: A mystical approach to the art of botanical perfumery” for the Beyond Aromatics conference up in Seattle this Autumn. The paper is due today which happens to be the first day of the Celtic Tree Month of Oak.… Continue reading Celtic Tree Month of Oak
Branch Out
“The creation of a thousand forests are in one acorn.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson The rain from the last few days has caused quite a bit of challenges here in the wood lands. Many non-native trees, like the Pink Pepper Berry, have landed in the street. This morning one of the neighbors conifers was blocking… Continue reading Branch Out
O is for Oak
Q stands for Quercus agrifolia the botanical name for the coastal live oak of California. At this time of the year the oaks are very heavy with acorns, proving a very busy time for the local squirrels. I’ve been dutifully gathering both acorns and acorn caps daily from the Quercus agrifolia on my property. The… Continue reading O is for Oak
Celtic Lunar Month: OAK
“With foot beat of the swift Oak,Heaven and Earth rung,Stout guardian of the door,His name on every tongue.”~ Gwion The circular door opens into the mighty realm of the Oak today, with the seventh moon cycle of the Celtic Tree Alphabet. From now until July 7th the steadfast OAK, the most sacred of all the… Continue reading Celtic Lunar Month: OAK
Spirit of Nature
Thursday is named after Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. This dense gaseous mass in astrology is associated with luck and expansion. At the hearing Thursday evening Jupiter along with his 63 moons must have come out to bless us with some luck. The developer was NOT granted the right to remove the… Continue reading Spirit of Nature
Q, Quercus agrifolia
I have been working on a new batch of Q, Quercus agrifolia, the botanical perfume devoted to the California Live Oak. Since I have gotten some on my hands and am now inhaling it throughout my activities, I’ve decided to deem the Scent of the day Q! Here are a whole bunch of links which… Continue reading Q, Quercus agrifolia
The Duir Way
“I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees,for the trees have no tongues.” – Dr. Suess The latest issue of Sniffapalooza Magazine, March 23, 2008, contains a contribution titled “The Duir Way” detailing the inspiration for the perfume “Q”, formerly known as Quercus. The word Duir means Oak, the letter D corresponds to the… Continue reading The Duir Way
Formerly known as Quercus
We decided to change the nameof the California Live Oak inspired Perfume.Thank you to all the friends, colleagues and family who provided their input on the potential names. After pondering long and hard we chose the letter “Q” as the new name. It was a very difficult decision, but, in the end we liked the… Continue reading Formerly known as Quercus