Lilacs in Spring

I used to live where the lilacs bloom. We had 7 or 8 trees in our yard. They were beautiful! Lilac season in our town was glorious! Every yard had lilacs so when they bloomed the whole town shined a light lavender. I used to cut them and put them all over our house. They were a sign that summer was finally close at hand and we could thaw out for a couple of months. We didn't have much summer, and since I relish the sun, I would live outside most of the time from lilac season until the leaves fell. We had a back porch with a dinner table, and lots of rocking chairs. We just moved outside for the summer. I would go out first thing in the morning, when it was still very cold out. (It was cold every night there.) I'd sit in my robe and drink my tea while I enjoyed my back hill. I had a rock garden on that hill. As I sat I would enjoy whatever was in bloom at the time and plan my next planting season. I loved that back porch overlooking the garden. It was peace and tranquility. I remember the many evening meals out there. The birthday parties... sitting with friends, drinking beer and visiting. The back porch was my oasis. It was the fun place. It was the peaceful and rowdy place... where kids would laugh and play charades, or blow bubbles for their baby brother.
It's not quite lilac season, but I can smell them. I hate the smell of lilacs. They look pretty, but I think they stink. The problem is that I haven't been able to smell much for a long time. I'm now taking a generic nose spray that smells like lilacs! So I have a choice. No smell or smell lilacs. Uh. Not sure which is worse. Lilacs bring back a lot of cherished memories, though. Perhaps I am learning to like the smell of lilacs in spring. During this season of reckoning, I enjoy those good memories.

Now... the aroma of dead mouse in my laundry room wall mingles with lilac. Wahoo! This is my life. It literally stinks. What happened?