Sorry Washington! Perfumed Primary Project

*Current Fragrance: B Scent by Lush
*Currently Listening: Lithium by Nirvana

The Evergreen State

Dear State of Washington,


I am so sorry I inadvertently omitted you from the Perfumed Primary Project. I turned on the news this morning and they were talking Primary returns. I was all, "Naw, there couldn't be a primary yesterday, 'cause I didn't do a PPP entry." Sadly, I'm the one that was mistaken Washington. Please accept my apologies by me trying to make up for it as quickly as possible.


Your friend,


Kathleen

State Flower: Coast Rhododendron / State Bird: American Goldfinch

I find the story leading up to the choosing of the Coast Rhododendron as Washington's state flower to be one of the cooler "state flower stories" I've come across. You can read all about it here. I find the idea of a "National Garland of Flowers" to be utterly charming.

Since I didn't have time to sample something with Rhododendron in it, and I don't have prior knowledge of anything with Rhododendron in it: I'm going to offer up YOSH's Phenomenon for you Rhododendron consideration. I'm not even going to posture on about what Phenomenon may smell like....nope, because I have no clue. Instead, I'll offer up what I think is Washington's COOLEST state symbol, and then all the scent related ones.

YOSH's Phenomenon

 Washington's state gemstone is Petrified Wood. I think this is super cool! Along with geodes, I have this odd affinity for petrified wood and would spend hours looking for it when I was traipsing through the wooded areas of east TX with my Dad as a child. (My Dad was always looking for interesting things: petrified wood, Indian arrow heads, land survey markers near the beach. He always had little projects going on; see, it's genetic... Being as that I'm the only person in the family without horrid eye site, I was his "I-Spy" companion of choice.)

A super cool petrified wood stump.

This would have been one of my more typical "nature exploration" outfits when I was little. The five necklaces were TOTALLY necessary. As was having the pinky up, still is!

Dad taught middle school science as I was growing up, and we had a nice collection of geodes, petrified wood and other neat "rock goodies" that were displayed near the bases of some of the larger trees in our front yard, until they got washed away. Gee thanks Hurricane Ike....

Submerged Pizza Hut in my hometown right after Hurricane Ike

Other cool state symbols of Washington State (of the smelly variety) include...

- Fish: Steelhead Trout
- Fruit: Apple
- Grass: Bluebunch Wheatgrass
- Marine Mammal: Orca
- Vegetable: Garlic
- Endemic Mammal: Olympic Marmot

Olympic Marmot

*Currently Listening: Far Behind by Candlebox

 **Photo credits: 1) moodyscollectables 2) americanmeadows.com 3) luckyscent.com 4) petrifiedwood.com  5) my own 6) This photo circulated from cell phone to cell phone after the storm, so I have no idea who actually took it. 7) pbase.com