My Nose (likes to think it) Knows.
Between a deviated septum, chronic sinusitis and rhinitis, three
broken noses, an average of five colds a year, and whacked-out
environmental allergies, the odds of me actually picking up on any
given scent are extremely low. This has created a certain level of
panic in me: "What if I smell? Would anyone tell me?".
**This element of mystery has dramatically encouraged my rampant
OCD, as well as my need to smell lemon-fresh at all times of day. I
shower often, love a good perfume (though having a mother who
was allergic to such things cured me of any tendency to overuse 'eau de
anything'), and try not to wear clothes over and over again (thus
limiting their possibility to render me stinky). But I digress.**
Despite my goobered sniffer, I connect strongly with how people
smell, and have a tremendous scent memory. Blindfold me, and I could
still pick out the exact deodorant that my former crush used to wear. I
could pick out the one fragrance that my mother can dab on and not
sneeze her way into oblivion. I know the exact top and bottom notes to
look for in a cologne for my dad, because from brand to brand, he
chooses the same ones.
I blogged on my old blog about a moment of tearful remembrance for
my Nonna, after a bottle of her perfume broke on my bathroom floor. I
still have a bottle of it...and it still has the power to make me cry.
I can tell you how I knew exactly when springtime had arrived,
growing up, because the backyard smelled like magnolias and mud. I can
tell you how I knew summer was ending, too, because the plums from our
tree would rot into the grass, and leave the air sickly-sweet with the
scent of a season about to pass.
I can close my eyes and immediately recall the soft fragrance of
snow falling in Whitehorse, the tummy-growling smell of burgers on the
grill at camp (and the smoke filling my lungs), and the chemical-ish
odor of the green apple Jolly Ranchers that my friend at university
loved to crunch in Oceanography 301.
When I am truly, truly happy, I have a tendency to close my eyes and
breathe deep -- I'm not sure why. When I can't breathe deeply (98% of
any given year), I'm undeniably frustrated. I remember things by
smells, and I hate to have that function taken from me.
There are a gazillion bad smells out there that I choose not to remember, but the good ones are ones I hate to forget.
So, for you, my top 30 favourite smells. In no particular order. Yes, some are sentimental. Others are just weird.
30. Ground cinnamon tossed onto a lit electric stove element.
29. The oils that spray into the air when you twist an orange peel.
28. The aforementioned deodorant (Mennen Speed Stick Original).
27. Mint leaves, fresh from the garden.
26. A cup of Earl Gray tea.
25. Baby lotion/baby powder/babies. Mmmm!
24. Double Bubble Bubble Gum...sweet, but with a mild hint of pepper. Unique.
23. A just-struck match.
22. Jiffy Markers. No, I don't stick them up my nose like some of my
friends used to...I just like their scent lingering in the air, after
you've made a big poster, or written a nice "Keep Out of My Room, Jerk"
sign.
21. Onions and garlic, frying in olive oil in a cast iron pan.
20. Fresh-popped popcorn.
19. Peonies, hot and overbloomed on a sunny day.
18. Pipe tobacco (depends on the kind...but Bob Armstrong had good stuff when I was 5).
17. Rhubarb pie, fresh out of the oven.
16. Homemade fudge, cooling on the counter.
15. A fresh-chopped bowl of cucumber salad, with vinegar and sugar.
14. Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrien; Thierry Mugler Angel; Issey Miyake Eau d'Issey; Burberry Brit, Fresh Sugar, Acqui Di Parma; everything by Jo Malone; Nars Body Oil, Bobbi Brown Beach, and Demeter Gingerale....for a short list of beloved perfumes.
13. Ivory Soap and Dove Soap...so clean, so pure.
12. Sunlight and Tide Laundry Detergents.
11. Vanilla bean.
10. My mom's Violet Water.
9. My dad's Polo (yes, my mom lets him wear it, even when she sneezes)
8. Christmas trees.
7. Hay drying in the sunshine (even if it makes me sneeze)
6. The ocean, always. In all forms.
5. Vicks Vapo-Rub. Really.
4. Hawaiian Tropic Dark Tanning Oil.
3. Snowy days, up north. The colder it is, the nicer it smells.
2. The future smell of my future man.
1. Coffee, dammit. Did you doubt it for a second?
10:13:22 PM 
|
