I hate potpourri. The fact that I can’t smell it doesn’t help. (I’ve no sense
of smell. Some say no sense at all.) It boggles my mind how people will pay big
bucks for a bag of decorative floor-sweepings, named goofy things like
“Mountain Mist Kiss” and “Indonesian Curry Love,” which have been infused with
who-knows-what chemicals and dyes, which they insist on pouring into little
baskets and perching precariously on the back of the toilet in their powder
room where I invariably knock it to the floor when I’m trying to get the spare
roll of toilet paper out of its crocheted cover. After I sweep up all the bark
and bay leaves and recycled excelsior, stuff it back in the basket, and return
to the party, someone will exclaim, “Whew, someone smells like a French whore.”
Oh. Could it be moi, Mademoiselle Potpourri?
Still the word itself — potpourri — which is French for “It’s
deadline time and I don’t have my weekly column written and no one will call me
back with the information I need to answer a serious question, so I better do
something,” has its merits. Here’s a little potpourri from me:
Parfume de Hill Country: Do y’all remember the feature I wrote last
spring about J. David Bamberger, the visionary who has spent the last 26 years
transforming 5500 acres of the worst land in Blanco County into a lush,
spring-fed paradise? Well, I got more mail and phone calls and comments about
that article than anything else I’ve ever written. While I would love to
believe it was my biting wordsmanship that seized the reader, I know it was
Bamberger’s story. Period. Everyone wanted to meet him and see his handiwork at
his ranch, Selah. Here’s your chance. Saturday, October 26, 8:30am-5pm, he’s
holding a workshop called Hill Country Land Stewardship, which will explore
topics such as clearing second growth cedar, tree planting for diversity,
managing land for wildlife, and protecting and propagating endangered plants
and animals. The workshop costs $80 and includes a short hike, coffee breaks,
and lunch, not to mention an incredible learning experience. Call 210/868-7303
for more information.
Sachet de Vert Magnifique: The International Green Builder’s Conference
will be held at the Austin Convention Center November 7-10. Your
$85
admission buys you a showcase of
150-plus exhibitors of sustainable
products and services, hands-on events, a tour of local green buildings, and
presentations by experts in residential and commercial green building,
sustainable technology, and the latest developments in the world of green. For
more information, check out their website at http://www.greenbuilder.com (this
site is chock-a-block with tons of more great information, too) or call Nick
Denner at 264-0004.
Le Goof Whiff: I’m sure it’s too late to get my name off the NRA’s
10-most-wanted-knee-jerk-gun-haters list, but honestly it was an innocent typo:
a gun is 43 times more likely to kill or injury family or friends than an
intruder, not 433 times more likely.
Hey, let’s check out my new email address: SuzyB@ix.netcom.com
This article appears in October 11 • 1996 and October 11 • 1996 (Cover).