(another scene from my life with Kiara)

We use unscented laundry detergent. We have a baby, after all, and perfumes and dyes aren’t good for his delicate skin. They’re not very good for our skin, either, so we favor unscented detergent. But the stuff we’re using now smells bad. I don’t mean “my jeans don’t have that fresh aroma of spring clouds that makes me dream of diving into a mountain stream.” No, I mean “something died.”

Fed up with this, Kiara grabbed a bottle of essential oil and ran downstairs to mix some into our laundry soap. Only after she started a new load did she look to see which bottle she had chosen.

Fennel.

Yes, we have a bottle of essential oil of fennel. And yes, now most of my clothes smell vaguely like something drowned in a tub of black licorice.