Olfactory Smorgasbord

 In they came, in rapid succession - first was the hamburger, sizzling on a grill, and just before the cheddar was slapped down on top. After that came steak, what kind I couldn't tell you but, as far as I could smell, it sure was good. They were the type of scents that set my stomach to growling. The route, that seemed to be planned around a theme up to this point, made an abrupt one-hundred eighty degree turn right then. After the steak, I remember hoping for garlic something, maybe grilled vegetables with a garlic rub; instead, I found the air filled with skunk. Fortunately a head of steam had me clear of the funk and into clearer air fairly quickly. Finally came the soft glow and radiant heat from a fire in a fireplace, even though it was not particularly cold. Indeed the balmy evening was likely the reason I picked up on those first two scents to begin with.

A little more than a week away and the evening loops will make their annual daylight savings time transition. That transition involves more than just night and light; it also means more dirt and less pavement, away from town rather than in town, besides darkness and shadow there will be things to see again, and rides will again begin to involve sweat rather than shiver. I may miss the smells of other peoples' eventing meals as I roll through the local neighborhoods, but not the hunger pangs that come with them. Bring the change.

other than being taken during my evening rounds, the sign at Chaparral honoring various people during Black History Month, has nothing else to do with the text above