Being married for 27 years means that I have learned to put up with and ignore many things about my spouse. A comforting thought is my spouse has had to do the same putting up and ignoring, living with me. One thing that has been hard to tolerate about my husband, Tom, and something that he insists is not so bad, is his ability to clear a room of people in seconds. He does this silently but we all know when he has left his mark even though he says, "It wasn't me." I am writing about something that all of us do but no one likes to speak of or especially wants to smell. Flatulence.

It is not a subject I like to even think about, but my son, Danny sent Tom and me a gift in the mail that may help to make our evenings more peaceful and hopefully allow us to have more quality family time. Quality time is something that is encouraged by family therapists and Danny's little gift has definitely contributed positively for us to have more quality time together.

Danny was reading the Wall Street Journal on a Monday after he took a road trip with his dad, girlfriend, little brother and me to Mankato. When Danny and his girlfriend, Mary, dropped us off at our farm, Tom was the last to leave the car and he left a trademark odor behind. Danny said it was so awful that they had to roll their windows down for a half-mile in order for the two of them to breathe more comfortably. It was a frigid night but the cold fresh air was needed so they could clear the car of the smell and breathe again. In the Wall Street Journal article, Danny read about a product that is a carbon flatulence filter cushion called GasBGon. The cushion absorbs malodorous gas. The article was full of testimonies from people that used this carbon filtered seat cushion.

Danny looked the company up on the Internet and the site states: "The

GasBGon flatulence filter seat cushion is a fun, yet serious solution to the embarrassing problem of malodorous gas. GasBGon seat cushions apply cutting edge carbon filter technology to absorb the sound and odor that accompany flatulence. The unique cushioning property combines to form a dual filter technology to muffle the sound and the smell. This is the result of a carbon filter that has the equivalent surface area of a football field. Research indicates that the GasBGon cushion actually absorbs more than 90 percent of the odor emitted from most users".

Danny knew that this product sounded perfect for his dad. It came in the mail last week addressed to Tom and Sheila. Tom opened the package immediately. He was pleased to see in the literature that it said,

"Everyone has flatulence and passes gas an average of 14 times a day."

"See? What I do is normal," he said.

I said, "The literature also says, 'Granted, some people are more frequent and odiferous than others.'"

Tom ignored that comment. We have all used the cushion and surprisingly it does work. I think it will definitely contribute some quality time to our family life. Friday night we played cards until 11 p.m. with our son, Timmy and a friend. Tom sat on the cushion all evening sipping away at his stout and none of us had to clear the room. I said the next morning, "That cushion really works."

Tom smirked and said, "Remember Danny sent it to both of us. I'm not the only one with gas."

I didn't answer him, but I am making sure he is sitting on that cushion as much as possible. I think I'll order one for his truck, my car and if I they make a mattress pad, I'll order that too.

Sheila Donnelly can be reached at 434-2233 or by e-mail at :mailto:mommysheila@hotmail.com