This Stinks. Not.

I'd make money if I bet that your sense of smell is better than mine.

I'm not sure exactly when it happened. I want to say that I noticed it when I moved to New Jersey. Coastal central New Jersey, you know, is not in Zone 6 as the Gardening Zone maps would lead you to believe. It's more like the North Carolina climate, therefore has different bloom season for trees leaves and plants. (I learned that when I worked in an allergist's office. He used to flip out whenever anyone identified NJ has Zone 6 and would give long and passionate lectures about why that is not so.) So I thought that perhaps allergies/chronic nasal congestion from my different plants in my new location was the reason for my diminished sense of smell.

Now don't get me wrong - I can still smell things, but it has to be a concentrated fragrance. For instance, way back when I lived in NYC, I clearly remember counting myself lucky that I was the one who got to crank open a fresh can of coffee at work so that I could get that intoxicating first  whiff of coffee aroma. Now, if I open a can, I have to stick my nose pretty much in there to get even a fraction of what's going on. And I can't identify perfume the way I used to. I love perfume and could entertain myself on an elevator or in a subway by guessing what fragrance I was smelling. Now I have to ask almost every time, unless its something very distinctive, like Clinique or Cabotine - neither of which I particularly want to smell.

All the on-line research that I've done indicate that the cause it either nasal congestion or some kind of brain disorder. In 1977, I did get whacked on the crown by a flat plate dialyzer which is roughly the length and heft of a baseball bat. That was in NYC and I can't remember if I could smell after that or did it start when I moved to NJ?

This week, I was watching some show on HGTV, and the new mother who wanted design services told the designer that since she suffers from a 60% loss of smell since she got pregnant. So I immediately googled that but couldn't find any references at all. Too bad - I would love to lump loss of smell in with varicose veins,  weakened abdominal muscles and banana boobs as the result of the selfless act of bringing new life into the world and perpetuating the species.

Anyway, this weekend when I was out on the deck, a gentle breeze wafted over carrying a heavy smell of pool bleach. I conclude that I am either in remission and making an olfactory recovery, or my new next door  neighbors don't have the chlorination recipe down yet.

Questions:

• Bingley, was there a change in coffee package technology, or is it me?
• Mothers, did you have a reduction in smell detection after you gave birth?
• Perfume-wearing public, can you give that Clinique a rest already?

Comments

[Shelagh]

When I was pregnant everything smelled stronger! However after I gave birth to my 1st child I must have had a temporary loss of smell - I didn't notice the lack of smell but I did notice the lack of taste which made it very hard to eat. This only lasted about 2 days then everything got back to normal.

[Lisa]

They say when you quit smoking that your sense of smell gets better. I call BS, 'cause I still can't smell anything right, and I haven't smoked in over four months!

[pops]

Mom's sense of smell comes and goes. She takes zinc she says that helps.

[Mr. Bingley]

Hmm, I don't think too much has changed in the coffee packing. Sure, Folgers has gone from metal cans to plastic jugs, but I can't think of any other changes. Well, aside from those cool foil tops they put on cans; nothing that should have an olfactorological impact.