Definately Not a Rose

Today is my birthday! More on that later. I MUST tell you about what happened to us today. Divina and I met up with our friends Atasha and her great kids, Christopher and Alyssa (Hi Atasha!), at the library's new children's garden. When we got home I noticed a very peculiar order in our apartment. I thought it was someone cooking in our building. The more time that passed, the worse it got. By the time Mark got home it was unbearable. Definitely food-like, but inedible. We left quickly to go out for dinner, but even the car was infected. Could it have permeated our clothes? After some time of reluctant sniffing, we determined that the source of the odor was Divina's shirt. Luckily I had a spare. When we returned home the odor was still in the apartment, particularly in her bed. Her sheet stank! But the smell had other sources, too. What on earth could this be?! At some point I said "It's like rotten onion." Remember that. I collected all her clothes, sheets, blankets, stuffed animals from her bed and washed them. Upon taking them out of the washer it was her bed sheet that now had the worst of it. What on earth?! It was remarkably horrid. I wrapped the sheet in a trash bag and threw it away. Then I noticed a little flower on the floor by the washer. I recalled Divina finding a purple flower in the garden and putting it in her shirt pocket. I picked up the flower and smelled. Big mistake. It was the worst smelling thing ever. I could taste it, how bad it smelled. Oh my god! I showed it to Mark and said "Its the flower!" He requested a sniff. I tried to warn him. He nearly cried for the emanating misery. After ceremoniously disposing of the vile offender, I wiped down everything that it might have contacted with Clorox wipes and Lysol. The California Field Guide provided it's mug shot. Hooker's Onion. "Edible, may have strong flavor." No shit.