The Perfumed Primary Project

*Currently Listening: Bill Evans - "Pavane"
*Current Perfume: Ineke's "After My Own Heart"

I wonder what fragranced our forefathers?

Hmmm...how to start this? I really have no vested interest in the G.O.P. Primary; as I am very much NOT a Republican. I'm...well...I'd brand myself as a Liberal Libertarian, but that's not the point. This isn't really about politics though, it's about perfume, and once I saw this tweet from the Fifi Awards, my brain got to working.

I had already picked my Scent of the Day, but knew I would be showering before heading out to a work meeting and though to myself, "do I have anything in the apartment that has lilac in it? YES! Yes, I do," and I put on some of Ineke's "After My Own Heart before heading to my work meeting. This got me to thinking: wouldn't it be a fun little project, that on every day there is a primary, to wear a fragrance that has some element of the state's flower in it? With that, the Perfumed Primary Project was born. What a fun and fragranced way to celebrate this part of the political process in my own way, and perhaps keep me from getting way too cynical about the whole thing. (My huband's degree is in Political Science, and I DO have an interest in the political process. Plus, I think Presidential Speech Writer has to be right up the with Crayola Color Namer as COOLEST JOB IN THE WORLD.)

I can already see a few snarls that I'm going to have to navigate.....

1) Not going broke! I mean, there are 50 states...  I'm going to try my best to utilize perfumes I already own, samples I can get for free or on the cheap, and in a REAL PINCH, a spritz on the day at a perfume counter of the needed fragrance.

2) What about the days like Super Tuesday? It's ridiculous to try to wear ten different fragrances during one day. I'll try my best to combine states (notes) into a few frangrances, and hope that some of the states have overlapping state flowers.

3) On the days of primaries for states I've lived in and currently live in - so Texas, North Carolina, and Massachusets - those states will take precident of the other. I'm sure I can find a bluebonnet, a dogwood & a mayflower frangrance somewhere. (This also takes care of the Super Tuesday problem with MA.)

4) To not let this completely take over my life, because it easily could. I know it will be a good bit of the content for NDC#5 between now and June 26. Sometime during the last two weeks of the month prior, I'll set up a day to figure out and go about procuring the scents for the following month. I've got the rest of this month figured out, so that's good.

5) What ever am I going to do about Iowa, since I missed it?

6) What do I do if there is a single primary on a day and I just kind find anything with that flower/botanical?

I'm sure I can figure this all out, this is going to be an adventure!

Here's the list of primaries with the state's corresponding state flower:

January 3 - Iowa: Wild Prairie Rose

January 10 - New Hampshire: Lilac

January 21 - South Carolina: Yellow Jessamine

January 31 - Florida: Orange Blossom

February 4 - Nevada: Sagebrush

February 4-11: Maine - White Pine Cone & Tassell

February 7 -  Colorado: Rocky Mountain Columbine
Minnesota: Pink & White Lady's Slipper
Missouri: Hawthorn

February 28 - Arizona: Saguaro Cactus Blossom
Michigan: Apple Blossom

March 6 - Alaska: Forget Me Not
Georgia: Cherokee Rose
Idaho: Syringa
Massachusetts: Mayflower
North Dakota: Wild Prairie Rose
Ohio: Scarlet Carnation
Oklahoma: Mistletoe
Tennessee: Iris
Vermont: Red Clover
Virginia: American Dogwood

March 6-10 - Wyoming: Indian Paintbrush

March 10 - Kansas: Sunflower
U.S. Virgin Islands: Do territories have a "Territory Flower"? Time to find out!

March 13 - Alabama: Camellia
Hawaii: Hibiscus
Mississippi: Magnolia

March 20 - Illinois: Purple Violet

March 24 - Louisiana: Magnolia

April 3 - District of Colombia: ????
Maryland: Black Eyed Susan
Texas: Bluebonnet
Wisconsin: Wood Violet

April 24 - Connecticut: Mountain Laurel
Delaware: Peach Blossom
New York: Rose
Pennsylvania: Mountain Laurel
Rhode Island: Violet

May 8 - Indiana: Peony
North Carolina: American Dogwood
West Virginia: Rhododendron

May 15 - Nebraska: Goldenrod
Oregon: Oregon Grape

May 22 - Arkansas: Apple Blossom
Kentucky: Goldenrod

June 5 - California: California Poppy
Montana: Bitterroot
New Jersey: Violet
New Mexico: Yucca Flower
South Dakota: Wild Prairie Rose

June 26 - Utah: Sego Lily

Thanks to 2012presidentialelectionnews.com and 50states.com for the data!

*Currently Listening: Michael Jackson - "Man in the Mirror"