this is a post about my nose. for some reason, i was thinking today about how much i use my nose in life, especially in parenting. last night, about 3am, i woke up and the room was filled with smoke. not just the smell of smoke, like what was on eric when he and tim came home from camping. i mean thick- make my throat sting- smoke. i hopped up and looked everywhere, trying to figure out where it was coming from. because i was tired and it was dark, i just ended up using my nose, walking all over the house, smelling. i followed it to a window and figured out that the smoke from my neighbor's chimney was being sucked straight in our open window.
what do you use your nose for?
sometimes it is yucky. i walk into my kitchen.. there is a funny smell. if it smells like wine, check the fruit basket. if it smells like death, check the mouse trap or the potato bin. by smell, you can tell if a kid has a dirty diaper, if they brushed their teeth, and after some practice, sometimes you can even tell if one is about to throw up. you can smell if your engine is not right, or if you used your brakes too much coming down the hill. trash that needs to be taken out. you smell a washcloth or a towel to see if it needs to be washed. or the classic- i have just burned the garlic bread... again. i found a propane leak at my friends house. i have even found a dead chicken in the grass with my nose.
but it is not just nasty things: you can smell the seasons, or if it is going to rain. the smell of bread or cookies reminds you they are in the oven, or if the stew needs pepper. the light bleachy smell of white laundry. you can tell if a kid shampooed their hair or just rinsed and got out. i am constantly smelling and testing the air for signs that i should pay attention to. i also cannot have smelly candles (unless it is christmas or something special) or other chemical scents in the air. i don't like my clothes smelling like anything other than clean.
am i the only one? what do you smell? do you import other smells into your house?
"i seem to smell the stench of appeasement in the air." margaret thatcher
"if it smells like death, check the mouse trap or the potato bin"
ReplyDeleteOr the toaster?
I guess I use my nose to tell me that Theo is not ready to go a night without a pull-up. And that the cats are still not using the litter box properly. And that Rachel is hiding chocolate in her room.
ReplyDeleteYou've always had a sensitive nose Beth. I smell the laundry to tell if it's dry.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Beth. When I went for the quick visit down to santa barbara after being gone for so long, I couldn't believe how much I loved the SMELL.
ReplyDeleteYes Fresno has a smell at Christmas time and you you know the brownies are almost done cuz you can smell them and i know when the cat has been locked in my room there's a smell. But for me I use my ears more. I can hear a car coming over the bridge or a kid outside. Sat mornings I could tell the tv was on even if it was turned way down and when the tape gets done rewinding and the tv is still on i can tell also i can hear when it's rewinding that it's getting close to the begging so we don't have to watch all the previews. I can also tell by the inflection in a kids voice what their saying.
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling rather bitter towards my nose at the moment since it seems like I haven't been able to breathe through it for a large part of my life. So no, I have nothing good to say about my olfactory sense.
ReplyDelete