T13 Edition #8 Thirteen Scent Memories

The smell of these things take me elsewhere:

1. Mangoes remind me of our Cuban neighbors when I lived in South Florida in elementary school.

2. Boxwood shrubs remind me of my grandparents house when I was a little girl. I remember standing, waiting an eternity for my parents to stop talking so we could leave and sometimes burying myself in them. I also remember lying to take a nap on the front porch glider, and the air all around smelled like them.

3. Estee Lauder perfumes remind me of my mother. She wore several different ones, but she would always leave a cloud of her current scent behind her when she left for work.

4. A fireplace with wood burning reminds me of the home of friends who rescued my friend and I with four of our children off of the Appalachian Trail.

5. Hot apple cider makes me think of fall, and leaves, festivals and hayrides.

6. Moth balls put me in mind of my grandmother’s house when I was a little girl.

7. Elmer’s glue and crayons remind me of elementary school.

8. Peaches always remind me of Georgia and turning 13.

9. Hairspray (the heavy scented aerosol kind) reminds me of my aunt and her bouffant hairdo.

10. Bubble gum and strawberry are two scents that remind me of my first lip gloss, when I was old enough to wear it.

11. The smell of the mall – perfumes, acrylic nails, cinnamon buns, pizza – all swirl together to remind me of being a teenager.

12. Honeysuckle reminds me of summer.

13. Fresh cut grass is a childhood memory – the smell of it mingled with my dad’s sweat made me feel safe and cared for.