It's a magical time in Southern California. Rains have subsided (for now) and the night air breathes orange blossoms, gardenias and jasmine. It's a reminder that Spring is coming and that the world is just about to wake up.
Every season has a scent. Fresh cut grass reminds me of east coast summers. And that slightly chilled, leafy scent of mornings before school are September. Cool rain on hot concrete booms summer thunderstorms and wood burning in fireplaces crackle winter.
What are your favorite seasonal scents?
xoxo,
Suzanne
About Me
- Suzanne Casamento
- Author of Fingerprints, Choosing Tally, and All the Moments in Between. Tweet me @suzannecasamento
Since my nose was stuffed up most of my childhood, I don't deal in scent memories as much as the next guy. I remember well the taste of freshly mowed grass. Especially in PA as we drove out to my cousins' place.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the orange blossoms in my backyard get so strong, I choose not to walk out there. But my orange trees are prolific and bloom several times a year. Not associating themselves with any season apparently.
I love the smells that take me to summertime. I love the smell of jasmine and chlorine. It reminds me of being a kid and playing in the pool in the backyard with my friends. I also love that old school coconut scented sun tan lotion and the smell of tar when they re-asphalt the streets.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to say spring grass (not necessarily fresh cut). It always makes me think of playing baseball as a kid and those long spring/summer days.
ReplyDeleteI like the smell of cut grass too in the summer, and leaves burning in the fall. Winter, I just want it to be over! And spring just smells fresh when it starts to get green again.
ReplyDeleteLate autumn smells are my favorite, fallen leaves with the first wood burning smells.
ReplyDeleteRecently I visited a wholesale flower distributor and walked into their walkin. Brought back so many memories. We were immune to it then but now I understand why so many people remarked about how much they loved the smell of a flower shop.
I love the smell of the Caribbean. The warm, warm, turquoise water and the colorful fish swimming in a giant aquarium. The Pacific isn't the same.
ReplyDeleteGreat question! In spring I love the scents of freesias and orange blossoms. For summer, suntan lotion probably triggers the most memories. In winter I love pine and oranges, and burning leaves is the smell I most associate with fall.
ReplyDeleteOooooo! suntan lotion and baby powder do a job on me also!! This is fun! I forget what that precious sense of smell can conger up. I'm sorry for older folk that lose it! and with that the sense of taste! All things to look forward too :)
ReplyDeleteI love the summer smells! Yes, the fresh cut grass, the black top after rain and suntan lotion. Oh la la! I also love the smell of the bbq and that gritty smell after a long day playing outside. I guess I'm saying I like the smell of summer dirt.
ReplyDeleteHands-down, I would have to say the sweet smell of honeysuckle in the hot air means that summer on Cape Cod has arrived...and then of course there is the fresh and clean scent of "Love's Baby Soft" perfume. It brings me right back to pre-teen summer dances. For the past five years I have worked at Plimoth Plantation and the combined smells of smoke from a woodfire with the spicey-cinnamony smells of stewing pumpkins and hearth cooking means Thanksgiving is on its way! Thanks for this refreshing pause today :)
ReplyDeleteI love the way the air smells just before it snows. It reminds me of my childhood and skiing in Vermont. I also love all the smells of summer...salt air, cut grass, suntan lotion, all of it!! Great question!
ReplyDeleteThe scents of lightly rain and the forest which seem so relaxing to me.
ReplyDeleteThat scent of ozone just before a thunderstorm is my absolute favorite, especially in summer in the southeast. It makes me feel alive and anticipatory.
ReplyDeleteI love the smell of honeysuckle and orange blossoms. I don't smell those in MT like I did in CA. Here it's the smell of pine, which is good too.
ReplyDeleteSince I've been living in the tropics for several years now, in places with no seasonal changes, I had to think back a bit.
ReplyDeleteI think my favourite is the scent of the earth just after the rain. Has to be an untarred surface, of course. I remember that from the monsoons in India. Fabulous. A scent of renewal, rejuvenation, freshness... ahhh.
It's taken me several days to figure out the name of a particular plant but I finally have an answer. I love the smell of society garlic, star jasmine and night blooming jasmine are three of my favorite scents. They remind me of being young in the summer. I feel more alive when I smell them.
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