Smell - 31 Things Day 29

SMELLS I LOVE: Coffee brewing, freshly baked bread, freshly cut grass, summer mornings, my kids’ hair, cinnamon and apple, peppermint, pinecones, the smell of a crisp winter night after a snowfall, burning leaves and smoke from a campfire, a fire in the fireplace, coconut oil, popcorn, onions sautéing, the smell of Andrés when he walks in from outside: sun and fresh air mixed in with his own smell.

MEMORIES: I love it when a smell transports me to a place in the past. The smell of leather instantly reminds me of the senior letter jackets all the boys would wear in high school. A chlorinated pool puts me right back at that gym at Como Park, late night basketball practices, the smell of the pool seeping into the gym. The smell of plastic and suddenly I am five years old again, opening presents on Christmas morning.  // The night I met Andrés, he was wearing Gucci No. 5 cologne. They don’t make it anymore, but I sometimes wish I could find it again. I am sure it would bring back a flood of memories of that summer.  //  I love smelling things. I love smelling candles in the store. I love the smell of new clothes, the smells piped into the stores. When I was pregnant with both kids, I remember being really sensitive to smells, and how much it upset me. I was afraid I would never enjoy certain smells again. I was so happy when that feeling went away quickly after the boys were born.  //  I have a niece whose nose is like that of a bloodhound. I love listening to the stories of how she knows things, just by the smells around her.

WHAT I WEAR NOW:  I have always wanted to be the type of person who has a scent that distinguishes her, but I am not. For most of my life I have experimented with different perfumes because there are so many that I actually like. Some all-time favorites are anything by Ralph Lauren, Beautiful by Estee Lauder, So Happy by Clinique, Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker. I have never even owned most of these, but will spend hours in the perfume department “testing” them (and making little perfume swatches to scent my purse).