diffused

i was in the kitchen tonight when our female cat, B, jumped back and made a noise.  she froze under the table, too intent to protest further.  i followed her gaze, finally noticing what she saw -- a large, black spider crawling across the floor.

hubbie (my reluctant spider killer) wasn't around, so i resorted to the only thing i could think of -- air freshener.  it was a persistent little bugger.  midway through operation spray-annihilation, i started feeling guilty, wondering if i should have just smushed it and been done with it.

as B watched from my side, petrified, i started to choke from the overpowering scent of lavender and vanilla.  (thanks alot for your help, girl!)

the smell of almost anything potpourri-ish evokes several childhood memories for me, usually when it came to the spider/centipede/creepy-crawly insect rampages my sisters and i had.  whenever the middle sis or i spotted a bug, our first reaction would be to run away from it, wailing and screaming bloody murder.  then after the initial shock wore off, we'd grab the nearest bathroom spray to drown the critters to their premature deaths.  then came the hard part: picking up the remains.  that's when we'd nudge the youngest towards their sticky, lifeless bodies and direct her to discard of them.

so as i sit in this kitchen, still coughing up the sweet fragrance of flowers and candles, i think about my sisters and all the silly adventures (or should i say, misadventures?) we have to remember.