Sense of Scents

Today my nose is full of smells from a horse barn...... and it is wonderful!  Horses, like all animals, have their own scent and when you mix it with the smells of fresh bedding (we use pine shavings), hay, and yes.... even the pooh...... aaahhh....  There is just something about it that is soothing to me.  I know, I'm a little off in the beaner, but in my profile I describe myself as an "animal lovin' country gal" and it's not just for show.  That is what I am all the way to my very core.  Throughout my life, horse barns have brought me much succor during trying times.

I have read that our olfactory sense is the one most attached to memories.  For me this is definitely true.  Take for example the smell of cows.  Remember that each animal has its own scent?  When I was a small child (many moons ago) my dad had a bulk milk route where he would go to the individual farms and pick the farmers' milk up in a big tanker.  Many summer days I tagged along, probably so my parents wouldn't have to get a sitter, but having a fun time going from farm to farm none the less.  I made friends with all the dogs, cats, and any other animal that would give me the time of day.  I'm not sure if I outgrew the milk route before my dad sold it or not but one thing is for sure, the smell of cows brings back some pretty sweet memories for me.  There is a dairy farm that I pass many days on my way to and from work.  When the smell hits my nostrils I throw my nose in the air just like a bird dog we use to have did.  I'm sure to many the smell is rank and unpleasant.  For me it is a whiff of the past and sweet memories of my dad.

What scents bring sweet memories for you?  Is it the aroma of a pie or cookies baking in the oven?  Perhaps chicken frying on a sultry Sunday afternoon.  Flowers are good for calming scents, my favorite being the petunia.  We all know the smell of rain in the air, but what about the ground being worked in the spring?  This year take a moment when you see a tractor in a field to take a deep breath and smell the dirt being tilled.

We would all be doing ourselves great favors if we would slow our lives down so that we could take the time to smell the scents (not just the flowers) that God has put out there for us.  We could be making some remarkable memories in the process!    

My heart is warmed........

My daughter moved out of the nest several years ago.  I still miss her terribly but find comfort in the fact that she is happy in the city she now calls home.  Fort Wayne is quite a bit larger than our little two-horse town, but not so big that she can get swallowed up in it.

She has created a new website and blog and is quite talented in her creativity and literary skills.  Check it out at http://www.iheartfortwayne.com/ and if you live in that area you will get the added bonus of discovering some of her favorite places. 

Yep, I am proud of her.  iheartAJ!