Smells and Memories

Have you ever smelled something that reminded you of something? This morning I was looking for some lotion to put on my face after I had gotten out of the shower. I saw the baby lotion on the counter and grabbed it. The smell reminded me of my grandmother. Not the way she is now, but it reminded me of her from back when I was small. She always had Johnson's baby lotion and oil in her bathroom. It must be her secret to how she stayed so young looking. She really doesn't look 85, and up until now she has always looked younger than her age. 

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The smell brought me back in time. Remember the A.D.D. I was talking about yesterday? Yeh. I started thinking about all the other smells, tastes, and objects that I knew reminded me of my childhood, all within just a matter of seconds. 

The smell of my mother's fresh baked bread reminds me of being about 3 or 5 years old, and living in our house in the country.

The smell of lavender reminds me of a basket of dried lavender flowers that I had on my dresser, when I was about 10.

Dried flowers and the taste of dried oranges remind me of my mother's friend Gail. She always had the neatest dried things handing all around the kitchen. And she always treated me to different kinds of dried fruit that she had kept up in jars. It's no wonder I would always go crazy buying dried fruits at Wild Oats and Whole Foods. 

The smell of fresh cut grass reminds me of weekends working in the yard with my parents, and all the schnauzers running around the yard.

The smell of orange spice reminds me of a candle that my grandmother had on a table in her formal living room. I had to take the lid off and smell it every time I went there. 

The smell of tulips reminds me of sitting on the wall to my parents driveway, and curling dandelion stems. My brother taught me to do that, and I would sit for what seemed like hours, curling them. The reason for the tulips, is the dandelions grew in between them. Ha Ha!

Gardenias remind me of my mother. She was fond of Sand and Sable perfume when I was younger. 

So what kind of fond memories do you associate with smells and tastes???