Are you tired of "favourite" stuff yet? Suggestions for future topics are eagerly welcomed.
As you know, Diane and I take turns providing the topic for Poetry Monday. This week's topic was my suggestion; it came to mind the week before when I was ... hmm ... doing something ... or ... eating something ... or something ... involving good smells. Exactly what that was escapes me at the moment.
And I thought to myself, That's a good idea for a poetry topic (by which I meant: not only do I have a good idea what I'll say, but it will be something everyone else can easily write about, too). I thought to myself, I'll have to remember that when the time comes to set next week's topic.
Self said, Yes! But you know, your memory is crap lately; how do you plan on doing that?
And I said back to myself, Don't get all personal with me; I'll remember this topic because there's only one day until I have to post it, and if you'll just ... unnggh ... let go of my brain for ONE FRIGGING MINUTE I'll put this in storage right up front in the old noggin here, let's see, in this folder marked "CRITICAL", and we should be good.
And Self said (clearly continuing to try to interfere with the "save" function), You know, it's not really "critical", it's more like "sort of important", don't you have a folder for that kind of thing?
And I said, Self, you're treading on thin ice, and Self said ... (indistinguishable mumbling) ...
And now you know what it sounds like inside my brain on an average day all day long.
But, you know, I did remember it, so I guess I won. If winning over your own self counts.
Anyhoo, please feel welcome to join Diane, MotherOwl, Mimi, and me in pondering and creating poems about our favourite smells. You can leave your poem in the comments or post on your own blog. If you do the latter, please leave a comment so we can find you and your poem. Use the topic or choose another; the idea is to have fun and exercise our minds.
Although ... some weeks I think my brain doesn't need exercise so much as it needs a sleeping pill, or a time out, or maybe both ... but let us move along now.
*****
As I've written about previously, I'm one of those people who falls into the category of being highly sensitive. This might have some good points but overall it has more bad ones, in my opinion. I would rather not be like I am, but what can you do? I've tried for most of my life to change, without success, so I've just kind of given up now.
To reiterate a few examples: My eyes are extremely sensitive to light, so I prefer not-sunny days. My ears are overwhelmed by noise, so I avoid crowds, loud music, road construction, etc. as much as I can. Which, hey, is pretty easy these days. My tastebuds are sensitive so my diet is fairly limited.
And my poor nose is sensitive to things other people don't mind, or even love, like the seashore, coffee shops, perfume, wood fires, garlic, or mint
But.
The up side of having a sensitive nose is that when there's a fragrance or scent or smell in the air that I love, I enjoy the heck out of it.
And this poem is about a few of those things.
*****
Ahhhh, Breathe Deeply
Night air in spring
A freshwater river
A cat's fur
Newly mown grass
The stem or leaf of a tomato
A brand-new book, cracked open
A spruce tree in the warmth of our house at Christmas
And a spruce tree in shady woods in summer
Rain on a warm day
Pizza baking in the oven
Freshly ironed cotton
The first lilac to open in June
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Unfortunately, one of our cats has asthma and is sensitive to lilacs. We can't have the windows or doors open when our lilac bush is in bloom because she gets wheezy. But I know how she feels, being asthmatic myself, so I don't mind. |
And just because I haven't posted any here in awhile, here are some funnies:
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Don't worry, little one, it's all kitty memes today ... |
*****
Wishing you plenty of your favourite smells as you go about your week ... What would some of those be? Let me know in the comments, if you like.
OK, two motorcycle related smells and then maybe a couple more non-motorcycle related smells.
ReplyDeleteFirst, of course, the one I wrote about on the favorite flower comment, night blooming jasmine in the air while riding through a neighborhood at night.
Second, and this will sound weird, but it's true nevertheless, Blendzall.
Blendzall is oil made from castor beans that two stroke racing motorcycles used to use. Two strokes use oil mixed into the fuel, so besides lubricating the engine, it also burns with the fuel and comes out the exhaust in a bluish cloud. For some reason, after it has burned in an engine, Blendzall smells wonderful. I don't know if anyone uses it any more, but the Google says that it is still available for purchase. I first encountered it when my dad took me to Redwood Acres in Eureka to watch motorcycle races when I was a little kid. Five or six years later I was at Redwood Acres myself, with Blendzall in the fuel in the tank of my little 100cc Yamaha...
And the smell of a pine forest on a hot day is its own special kind of heaven for me.
The smell down wind from a good barbecue place puts a smile on my face also.
There are also many food related smells I really enjoy, but having cooked for my living for ten years, there are too many to list, and coming up with the best among them is near impossible without actually smelling them again.
Just say that many of them involve the cooking of garlic.
I agree with your poem about the newly mown grass, someone just mowed the grass on the dam to the old mill pond making it even more of a sensory delight there.
By the look on that cat's face I have serious doubts about the accidental nature of the upcoming mayhem...
-Doug in Sugar Pine
I'd love to experience that jasmine air - it sounds really delightful.
DeleteSo that's why motorcycles have visible exhaust - I didn't know you added oil to the gas. That's like a snowblower! "No,", says Doug. "A snowblower is very much NOT like a motorcycle ..." :)
Yeah, if you're going to cook for a living, you pretty much need to like garlic - hah
Any plans for starting a blog yet, my friend?
That night blooming Jasmine is the one that really does me wrong and it hangs in the air for hours and for about six blocks around the plant.
DeleteNew mown grass causes my nose/eyes/head difficulties.
ReplyDeleteI do love the small of the world after rain.
And baking bread.
And cinnamon.
And vanilla.
And your funnies. Many thanks.
Oh no - sorry about the grass affecting you - our nephew is the same. That's rough when all the neighbours mow on different days. You can't get away from it very well.
DeleteBaking provides many good smells, doesn't it? I second all the ones you've listed.
LOVE the kitty funnies :) :)
ReplyDeleteMy eyes are sensitive too, bright days and particularly glare reflected off car and building windows, so I wear prescription sunglasses everytime I step outside. Unless it's cloudy and raining.
Yes, exactly. I prefer overcast days for going outside, and especially for driving. Even with sunglasses, sunny days are hard on the eyes :)
DeleteOh, I agree with all your favourite smells. And I'm delighted to have discovered a fellow book-sniffer! Here are my efforts - 2 this week so they are short.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a perfect day in early May
With sun up high in bright blue sky
There’s blackbird song, mayflies on pond
But it’s the scent of lilac on the breeze
That gives my heart a little squeeze.
Of all my favourite scents and smells
Today - I must declare -
It’s lilac flowers’ heady scent
Drifting on the warm May air.
_________________________________
It’s a PONG, she said
No, it’s not, he said
It’s a delightful odoriferous treat.
You are wrong, she said
And what’s more, she said
It smells like your own sweaty feet!
Oh, my dear, he said
I fear, he said
It’s so sad that you cannot endure
The fragrant bouquet that is wafting your way -
It’s much more than just ‘smelly’ manure.
Ha ha! That second one :) Growing up across the road from a farm, I hear you!
DeleteAnd lilacs - yes. Your weather must be a bit earlier than ours if you have them open in May.
Thank you so much for two great contributions, and also thank you for the two topic suggestions - I'll share them with Diane and you will see them soon, so get your thinking cap on :)
Substituting pine for spruce worked for me. Not bad. Smell of freshly mown grass? Great and funny cat cartoons as usual.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have as much pine as we do spruce, so spruce is what I associate with the forest. Freshly mown grass reminds me of late spring when everyone here mows for the first time. That is just happening here now.
DeleteOh what wonderful smells you choose! I smelled them all, reading through your poem.
ReplyDeleteIf you smelled pizza, it was coming through your USB port all the way from my house :D
DeleteThe salt sea air is heavy today with whiffs of seaweed and life below eyesight!
ReplyDeleteJust love that salt air smell.
I wish I did, Marie! Maybe if I enjoyed seafood I would enjoy the smell of the seashore, but . . . I know, that's heresy for a Maritimer, right? :)
DeleteMmmm ... more great smells, Laurie.
ReplyDeleteI could read this post (and the comments) again and again. So. Many. Wonderful. Smells!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd your kitty funnies-always a blast!
We are spoiled for choice when it comes to good smells, eh? :)
DeleteThe smell of the sea is very important to me. I started life on the Atlantic. I now live on the Pacific. Here's the thing-they smell different. People think I'm making this up but I checked with a very old Norwegian fisherman who had sailed the world and he emphatically agreed. When I get a chance at Atlantic air I suck it in. On the topic of sensitivity, I have a sensitive brain, noise and visual clutter overwhelm me. I adapt as best I can, just one more thing to factor in to living. Not much else one can do is there?
ReplyDeleteYou're so right. It does make things harder but we don't really have a choice.
DeleteHow interesting that the two coasts smell different - I suppose it makes sense when you think about it - the general climate is different and that would allow for different species of water life as well as land life. I wish I could say I enjoy ocean and shore smells. I feel like a poor excuse for a Maritimer, lol
I'm imagining the Atlantic as more cold and salty while the Pacific would smell more tropical. Can anyone verify?
DeleteIf you don't get an answer, I may ask this question on a future post, River. I'm interested in the answer as well. I can say that the Atlantic smells briskly salty (cool) but know no other ocean. What about your beach - what does the air smell like there?
DeleteI must say I understand your mind arguing with itself! Mine does the same thing. I love all the cat funnnies, especialy the one with the door. Our cats can not stand a closed door and it does not matter which side of the door the cat is on! I love the smell of a Spring morning after a gentle rain. The smell of bread or cookies baking is also pretty good!
ReplyDeleteIt's a cat thing, for sure! Maybe a dog thing, too; it's been many years since I lived with a dog and I can't remember now.
DeleteI don't know of anyone who doesn't like the smell of fresh bread or other goodies baking! That seems to be pretty universal!
Those are some wonderful smells you mention. And while i listed my very, very top ones, there are more that i do enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the funnies, it's so good to laugh.
There are far too many good smells to list, aren't there? Glad you enjoyed the funnies :)
DeleteSaved the best for last. Holding down the fort is excruciating.
ReplyDeleteYep, even if you're bigger than a kitten, it's still hard!
DeleteI like your list and poem and enjoy all those smells also, especially, the lilac. When I get a whiff of lilac, my mind goes back to my childhood home and (what I remember) the beautiful purple tree outside in bedroom window. Life is good like that, because as you age, it is mostly the good that remains in your mind. Maybe it’s because we see and smell things differently.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about that, but I think you may be right. I tend to remember the good, too, and my mom does that more and more. Everything we talk about brings back her teaching memories, and they all seem positive and pleasant for her.
DeleteI was going to say, being sensitive to smells could be a GOOD thing, at least part of the time! I have a terrible sense of smell. Sometimes people say, "Do you SMELL that?!" And I say, "Hmmmm....no."
ReplyDeleteAnd sometimes it's GOOD not to be able to smell stuff, lol
DeleteEyes, ears and nose sensitive...you might be a cat! LOL I never would have thought about the smell of a cat's fur but now that you mention it, I do find it appealing. Most of the time :) LOVED all the funnies. Needed a smile today.
ReplyDeleteGlad to provide a smile, Martha - hope tomorrow is better.
DeleteLOL about being a cat :D
I really enjoyed your poetry. Not that I don't always enjoy your poetry but this week's version was quite lovely. And thanks for the smiles from the kitty memes.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mr. S., and you're very welcome :)
DeleteI'm with Doug on the pine forest on a summer day. In fact, I was just in the forest yesterday with littleb, hiking along the side of a brook. The smell was heavenly and got even better when we came upon a open sided structure with two massive fireplaces, one on each end, where the smell of fall/burning wood hung about the place. Along, with the smells, there were the sounds...the water rushing over the rocks, the birds singing, a woodpecker in the distance. But that's a whole different topic. Back to your poem-I love the smell of all those things and the reminder was very nice:-)
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a soul-quenching hike, Chicken. Being out in nature is such a balm. Especially right now.
DeleteI love your poem! It made me smile with the memory of enjoying those scents myself. It must be tough to deal with your sensitivities - I'm glad there are still some things you can enjoy to their fullest!
ReplyDeleteThere are many, so I'm lucky!
DeleteGreat poem. I'm not sure you'd enjoy being at one of my gigs if loud music hurts your ears!
ReplyDeleteLove all the kitty memes. Happy weekend to you!
I'd bring earplugs!
Deletedear Jenny i am kind of shocked right now
ReplyDeletei honestly can't think how i missed your post ???
such a loss !
because i love reading your sharing so much
before this one i read your recent post but could not comment due to lack of knowledge of subject (i will for sure later)
i loved this one too ,i like knowing you ,it is so honest and touches my heart :)
just like you i am not fan of perfumes at all
i don't mind people around me wearing it but i cannot bear it with me i don't know why
as far as noise or sunlight i can go with noise if necessary
but i love sunlight :) yes i do despite of all cruelty of summer sun i can not think of life in constant grey weather but i love periodical cloudy weather
i loved your poem as always my friend
great job with brevity and mastery of thoughts :)
wishing more happiness and peace to your world!
hugs!
As always, thank you for your kind and thoughtful comment, baili. I'm glad that you like sunlight because you get so much of it!
Delete