Fall Is in the Air

I read outside yesterday afternoon. It was nice being bundled up in a sweater and blanket with the sweet smell of fall in the air. But the trees kept pelting me with dead leaves and seeds.

My Brother's Homecoming

I came home from work yesterday to find my brother in the driveway unpacking his car (the Saturn). It was a nice surprise.

I had him "open" the birthday presents I got for him. It included four different flavors of egg nog. Now, of course, I had to have him take a sip of each so he could rate them. I joined him by sniffing each. We agreed on the hierarchy:

1) Gingerbread
2) Cinnamon
3) Pumpkin
4) Sugar cookie

Our house feels complete with my brother home. Each of us adds a certain dimension to family conversations, and with all of us present, we even each other out.

Baby Shower

I went to the baby shower yesterday afternoon. It was good to see some people I hadn't seen in a while. One of my friends who put it on is also expecting. Crazy. I don't want to even imagine having kids right now.
While there, we played some baby shower games. And I won a prize! You will all be proud to know I have honed my scent-recognition skills to the point where I can kind of tell what baby food I am smelling if it isn't labeled. Who knows if it will actually come in handy.

Scent-Obsessed

I am a smell person (not to be confused w/ a smelly person.) Call me scent-obsessed. More and more I'm realizing that some of my favorite things are scents... freshly cut grass (already touched on), coffee, country air (when not near some dog food plant or diesel trucks), my hair after washing it/using product on it, tea, something baking in the oven, clean laundry right out of the dryer, squash or sweet potatoes cooking on the stove, honeydew melon, etc., etc.

But on second thought, I really like tasting food. And listening to music is good, too. Maybe I like all human experiences. Minus pain. But if you don't experience some pain, how can you appreciate what you have? Okay, I so did not mean to go onto some philosophical tangent. (Hardly.)

Philosophy was not my favorite class in college... Most of the time I was thinking, "So what? Who cares what Mr. Deepthinker thought hundreds of years ago concerning why we are here? Can we just go to the Bible and call it done?" Maybe I'm just not as intellectual as some other people.

Goodbye summer

In case you're wondering, no, I do not always stay up this late. Tonight is the exception.

As we are leaving summer and moving toward fall, let me bid the warmer months goodbye in my own special way...

One of my favorite parts about spring and summer is the mowing of lawns. I have only mowed my family's lawn for a total approximate time of two minutes. (I decided this was plenty for a lifetime.) But I love hearing the distant sound of a lawnmower going about its business. I find the hum cheerful and comforting. It says, "The sun is shining! Come outside and join me!"

One of the few things I like better than hearing a lawnmower is smelling freshly cut grass. The smell is sweet and refreshing, lingering hours and sometimes days after the actual cutting. Once you sense it, you just have to stop and take a deep breath to get the full effect.

This leads me to an idea I came up with earlier this year. As far as I know, no one else has carried these ideas out, so please don't steal my genius.

I would like to develop and market a set of grass clippings aromatheraphy candles along with a relaxation cd entitled "Hummings of the Lawnmower." I realize the cd will more than likely receive mixed reviews. However, I believe it will have a very practical use in soothing infants to sleep. And it's a much more manly Father's Day gift than the selections of "Babbling Brook" or "Whispers of the Wind."

I do believe, though, that the aromatherapy candles will be more widely accepted. And not just accepted, but acclaimed. So often scents are called "rain" or "spa." But what does "rain" smell like? Doesn't it actually have a distinct dustiness to it? And afterward, there is the smell of worms hanging in the air. And who knows what "spa" really smells like. But my soon to be patented "grass clippings" aromatherapy candles will not only truly smell like grass clippings, they will also smell amazing in doing so!

So in these next few weeks, the next time you hear someone mowing his or her lawn, smile. The next time you smell freshly cut grass, stop and breathe. For it won't be long before these summer treasures will fade away.