Sniff sniff...I love my nose!

One of the greatest things about summertime in the Northeast is the multitude of scents you are hit with whenever you walk around outside. Flowers here, fields there, animals in the distance, herbs tucked away in the bushes, distinct trees hanging over your head, gas from the roads, and people EVERYWHERE!. I love just taking a stroll through the park or down the street at home (upstate NY, farm country) and taking it all in. So much to be mesmerized by and so many little things to notice that you would not catch just by speed walking and not trying to smell it all in. Every little thing has its own unique smell just waiting for you to enjoy. It is so easy to be entranced by it all when you are just in an amazing mood and everything smells so good. Except those white trees with the droopy branches that smell like something gone bad or like animal waste left in the barn too long, that is not an enjoyable scent. But even so, you can marvel at how distinct different things smell. Our simple nose can pick up on so many different scents, and humans have an awful sense of smell compared to other animals.

My favorite part about smell is the images and memories it can conjure up. Sometimes you catch a wif of someone's cologne and it takes you back to an old relationship you have not thought of in awhile or maybe just makes you really in the mood and excited. Sometimes you smell a hint of something that reminds you of trips to your Grandmother's house where you would go into her very old and musty garage. Walk past a restaurant and you can get a delightful reminder of mom's cooking, which you miss terribly because you cannot afford to cook anything besides soup and even if you could you are not nearly as amazing a chef as mom. And perhaps the best is when you get hit in the face with a brief breeze from the ocean and instantly are transported back to those summers spent on the Cape with your whole family. Smell is just outstanding! Taking the time to slow down and notice all the different scents can really make you enjoy where you are a whole lot more, and if you are lucky you will be able to remember it years from now when you catch a new familiar scent.