The smell remembers when...

"I was standin' at the counter

I was waitin' for the change

When I heard that old familiar music start..."

I like Trisha Yearwood a lot. I love this song. Very true. But I've found that smells often do the same thing for me.

On my travels a week or so ago, I sat next to someone who was wearing the same cologne as someone I knew on Mackinac Island. Just a friend with whom I shared my woes (they were woes back then), but I smelled him first, and when I turned to look at who was sitting by me, I was shocked that it wasn't the Mackinac guy stowing his carry-on. Crazy.

Chip told me at our first stop in FL when we moved, "Do you smell that? That's the smell I always associate with FL...the slight mustiness, but 'soft' smell. I love it." Sorry, Chip, I'm sure I paraphrased, but since you don't read this anyway, I'm sure you won't care. :-)

Baby powder reminds me of Sean's baths. He was BIG into powder. Maybe Sophie is getting there - she's been liking it with diaper changes during this terrible bout with diaper rash - but she likes the "girly" cucumber melon scent.

The smell of a smokey (inside of a) car still reminds me of riding to/from the theatre with Fred. On a total tangent to this, tonight I was at the library looking up a book to place on hold and I saw an audio tape recorded at Brilliance Studio in Grand Haven and I immediately had tears in my eyes because I could see me in that studio watching Fred read a part for a book. Can't remember which one - I need to ask, just so I can get it and listen to him reading. What a voice.

Back to smells...the good ones...

somehow the smell of the first snow always reminds me of childhood snows. I'm sure that's a combo of many senses, though.

The smell of apple pie always puts me in my grandma's kitchen.

The smell of playdough always reminds me of my childhood kitchen table...oh, wait. I still play playdough on the same table, and until recently, in the same house, in the same SPOT.

The smell of COTY dusting powder reminds me of my Grandma Smith.

The smell of White Rain coconut (me) and Aussie shampoo (Angie) reminds me of my Mackinac days, too.

And I don't know what it is - I think Estee Lauder Sunflower perfume or something like that - always conjures the image of Jen Day in my mind. You too, Ang?

There are a couple of other smells that remind me of Mackinac, too, and yes, I smile, but no, I'm not sharing ;-), but for those of you with impressionable teens (coughCarolcough), DON'T let them go work up there!