Smells like a dead man, hung like a horse

It's the infamous corpse flower, blooming right now over at the Como Conservatory. It only blooms once every fifteen years, and the blossom and its peculiar odor only last two days: apparently it smells quite strongly like rotting flesh. This attracts insects, as well as hordes of curious and strong-stomached people. (Both newspapers on Thursday had pretty amusing photographs of people gathered around it and holding their noses. This picture is from the Pioneer Press.)

The conservatory is only six blocks or so from our house, but they're open pretty much the exact same hours that we're at work, so we haven't been able to go see and smell it.

I have Friday off, and if the blizzard isn't quite as bad as they're saying it's going to be (50 mph winds. half a foot of snow; it's sleeting right now) I might wander over there and check it out. 

The flower might be done smelling by then; it bloomed on Wednesday, and I might be too late. But if I make it over there, you can bet that you'll hear all about it.

(Wish I could take the boys. Something tells me they'd love to roll in it.)