Odiferous!

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Thursday evening I enjoyed the pleasant aroma of Dale Watson’s cologne as he entertained the Station Inn audience. Yep, that’s how close I was. That’s how intimate the venue is, too. However, that brought to mind times I’ve had far less pleasant smells attack me in public. If you’ve had to care for older family or friends who have incontinence you know that the after-effects can produce a very unpleasant smell. Can you imagine, though, being somewhere with food being served and that odor overpowering the pizza? Yes, that’s happened to me. A couple of friends were in the same vicinity (not close, mind you) as I was, and it was obvious that the one in the wheelchair needed some personal hygiene. Additionally, I’ve spent a number of hours at the VA hospital with the unpleasant “fragrance” of people who haven’t had baths in months nearby. It makes me wish the VA would install a shower in the restroom so the homeless vets could at least clean up before their appointment. I hope you haven’t had lunch (actually, I just did) and I’m ruining your appetite. It’s something that I ponder, though: at what point do we tolerate a really bad body smell from someone? Do we act like the man in the restaurant scene in The Blues Brothers and quietly request another table because “they smell bad”? And, if you’re a friend, how do you tactfully handle the subject? If you think this is bad, there’s a restaurant in town near a drainage ditch, and frequently their sewer smell flies out of the restroom when someone opens the door. Now, who wants dessert? To lighten the subject, here’s the classic Loudain Wainwright III song: