The sense of smell is a powerful thing. So many of my fondest memories are tied to unforgettable smells -- fluffy yeast rolls baking at my elementary school's cafeteria, my mother's pies & other baked goods filling the house with an extraordinary aroma, the fragrance of a freshly-cut Christmas tree, recently-cleaned/waxed hardwood floors, coffee beans, Star Jasmine blossoms, the smell in the air after a thunderstorm... I could go on & on listing some of my favorite scents that are strongly associated with thoughts/memories from past experiences.
Does "lonely" have a distinct smell? It probably smells like something is missing. This week it has been "girls only" at our house, so we have been lonely a time or two. Something's missing when the guys are gone. Mr. Smith is in Texas all week, and M. has been in Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona! (That boy is tough to keep track of!) We girls have been having fun, but we do miss the guys.
How does scent tie in with the fact that the Smith men are gone? I guess you could say that it STINKS when we are alone all week! No, there is another link: Miss Millie learned something about her mother & fragrance this week, so I figured I'd share it with you, too. (You might think that this is silly, but I'll share it any way...)
When Smitty is traveling on business, I squirt my wrists with one of his colognes as I am getting ready for bed. One evening, Millie noticed that I smelled like her daddy when she hugged & kissed me goodnight. I smelled sort of manly, so I had to explain why. Normally she is in bed fast asleep before I get ready for bed, so I had never been "caught" before wearing Daddy's scent. That child has keen olfactory receptors. :-) Thankfully, the girls didn't poke fun at me for being a scent-imental fool -- they thought it was sweet. Awwwww.
I cannot remember when this "just-a-squirt-of-MY-man's-cologne" routine started, but I've been doing this for years. Any time he's traveling, I'm smelling like the man of the household -- at least at bedtime. I LOVE being reminded of how Mr. Smith smells. It also helps to prompt me to pray for my husband before I drift off to sleep. If he's on my mind, he's in my prayers. Then it's time for sweet (aromatic) dreams! Zzzzzz...
My all-time favorite men's fragrance is Burberry Cologne. It will forever be associated with our courtship/early married life. We still have an almost empty bottle of the stuff. I keep it just to have a reminder of what "falling in love" smells like. Now that's sentimental, or just mental! Amazingly, the cologne still smells really good after all those years. Sadly, Burberry cologne was discontinued in the 1990s, but they have come out with a close replacement, Burberry London. It's a woodsy scent with bergamot, and a hint of tobacco.
Another very close replacement is Hugo Boss' Baldessarini -- it has a similar woodsy smell. (That is the fragrance I was wearing when Jr. Dectecto-Nose sniffed me out.) Givenchy is another good one -- vetiver is the predominant tone with some coriander and citrus thrown in for good measure. Last but not least, another Mr. Smith scent is Tommy Bahama's Very Cool. (Who comes up with these names, any way?!) It is light & citrusy, but not sweet... Nothing will ever replace the original scent that my boy wore when we were dating. (Me? I wore Clinique "Wrappings" during the courtship phase. I haven't worn it in years. I believe that it is still being made, but I now prefer Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue or Prescriptive's Calyx, depending upon my mood.) Ever since we learned that Burberry was no longer being made, I have been looking high & low to try to find something that captures that same smell. It simply cannot be recreated -- close, but no cigar.
Speaking of cigars, our neighbor is outdoors smoking an expensive smelling cigar. The aroma wafting over the fence is pungent, yet sweet. It actually smells yummy. I don't normally care for cigar or cigarette smoke, but this is a smell that smells... well, neighborly! I cannot distinguish whether or not the tobacco is Cuban, Honduran, Nicaraguan, or American, but it will forever be associated with living in this specific neighborhood.
I've written enough regarding this "smelly" topic for one day. I need to mop the kitchen floor, so the overpowering aroma of Pine-Sol will soon permeate the air. Although I associate the smell of Pine-Sol with hospitals, it is a clean smell. And a clean floor is much better than a sticky one.
No manly scents for me tonight. My beloved is coming home on the 10 PM flight from DFW. Next week, he's travelin' again, but I'll have Hugo, Tommy, & Givenchy here -- on my wrists -- to keep me company. :-)
Along with the ripe berry goodness, we all collected a few thorns, scratches, and stained fingertips. Really, we had fun, despite the pain. We did learn that berry stains & blood look very similar. Somehow everyone still managed to smile for the camera. ;-)
The one thing that did not make Miss Millie smile was finding a tick in her ear. She felt something tickling her ear. Upon closer inspection, I found this:
Millie squealed & screamed as I removed the ectoparasitic fiend. (Not FRIEND!) It hadn't even attached itself to her, but the thought of it biting her made her REALLY uncomfortable. She's such a girly-girl!
Rachel & Molly
