(if you're dying to hear the ol' XTC song, click here)
I have been thinking about this post for a long time, since I cleaned out my bathroom products and used up the last of my
Bath & Body Works Apothecary Lavender-Vanilla bubble bath, which sent me right down
memory lane. I, like most people, have strong scent memories. I heard on TV that this is an anatomical fact because the olfactory centers of the brain have no filters--
what we smell is not processed, so it goes into our brains and creates a vivid memory right away. That's really cool, and very animal-like, no?
Some of the most surprisingly vivid and tender memories I have are from when I brought each of
my three babies home from the hospital. Each time I was pregnant, as delivery grew nigh, I bought (or was given) a
new set of scented soaps and lotions to help me feel pretty before and after delivering the baby.
So here is a list of some of
my strongest scent memories:
- B&B Cucumber Melon Body Wash: Newborn Addie, courtesy of myself.
- B&B Apothecary Lavender-Vanilla: Newborn Heidi, courtesy of one of my dear YW, Lauren.
- Victoria's Secret Love Spell Body Spray & Scrub: Newborn James, courtesy of my mom.
- bleach/ chlorine water: mmmm, reminds me of pool water, and on a winter's day when I am sanitizing the linens of my cold-ridden family, the smell of the bleach water in the washer can send me right to a sunny, 105-degree day, playing in the pool in Arizona.
- orange peels, orange blossoms: takes me right to Arizona, too...warm sweet-smelling breezes...yum!
- Creosote, Mesquite=MONSOON RAIN in southern AZ. I'm tellin' you people, if they could bottle that smell...(if you've been in Tucson in August, you know what I am talking about!)
- fresh berries and dill also smell so good and fresh to me, and combined with lemon, can brighten and freshen any dish (berries for sweet, dill for savory, of course)
- Ralph Lauren's Safari for Men: when this scent came out, I loved it and I put the scent cards everywhere, even though I never knew a guy who wore it. I suppose it was the smell of the fantasy man of my early 20's.
- Ciara: The Scent of Grandma Lyn...I can smell it on my kids hours after she has hugged them!
- Dove Soap: Grandma Muriel...soft pink soap in her tiny pink-tiled bathroom.
Also, I had some thoughts about sounds the other night. It was a warm night and we had a fan on. The kids were in bed and the dishwasher was humming. I thought to myself that, aside from the sound of silence, the sound of the dishwasher might be my favorite. It's the sound of my woman's work being done at the end of the day. Ahhhh! I also like to drift off to sleep to the sound of the vacuum, the TV, and/or a fan going...I am a huge fan of white noise. Of course I love to hear my kids giggling, especially when they are making each other laugh.
And sometimes I worry that James will have some primal respose to the Scrubs theme...I am afraid he will suddenly get really hungry or want to suck on something, since I watched a tivo'ed Scrubs episode almost everytime I had to nurse him when he was a tiny baby. His first words will probably be, "I can't do this all on my own, no, I know I''m no Superman."
We'll talk about sight, taste, and touch another day. What are some of YOUR favorite scents & sounds?
Addie eating ice cream with Daddy at the Pop Stand
Mommy & Addie camping on the Gallatin River
Addie feeding the baby geese at Sacajawea Lagoon
Dad & Addie camping at Pine Creek (that's mud on her eye, and marshmallow on her face)
Mom & Addie biking around Sacajawea Park with the Yellowstone River and Livingston Peak in the background. This is about one block from the apartment where we lived for 3 years.
Addie eating ice cream with Daddy at the Pop Stand
Mommy & Addie camping on the Gallatin River
Addie feeding the baby geese at Sacajawea Lagoon
Dad & Addie camping at Pine Creek (that's mud on her eye, and marshmallow on her face)
Mom & Addie biking around Sacajawea Park with the Yellowstone River and Livingston Peak in the background. This is about one block from the apartment where we lived for 3 years.
Addie and Heidi spotted a rainbow on 5/11...
...while Bubby jumped in his exersaucer.
Last Saturday at Geoff's graduation party, Addie & Heidi taught James about dandelions and wishes (they actually call fluffy dandelions "wishes" or "wish flowers").
Addie and Heidi spotted a rainbow on 5/11...
...while Bubby jumped in his exersaucer.
Last Saturday at Geoff's graduation party, Addie & Heidi taught James about dandelions and wishes (they actually call fluffy dandelions "wishes" or "wish flowers").
