This Is The End

... of this very long, trying week. Thank you all for the words of encouragement and all about this week's "Aunt Jackie Ban" by a well-known blogger, and I won't mention any names. You may or may not have known who it was that got pissed with me, it doesn't matter now. I had sent an apology note, and tried to find out what exactly I did to deserve the kick to the curb, and I got no response.

I tried... I failed, I'm moving on. His comradery will be missed, but as a few of you have pointed out, it's truly their loss... Meanwhile, I still have so many great visitors to this blog and I won't be wasting any time continuing on with my writing, fun and entertainment... I don't deserve the wasted time, and neither do you, my dear readers and 'Blog Friends'... So let's move forward. "Here's mud in your eye, you dirty dog, Your loss and I forgive you for your short fuse and your blatant misunderstanding of me." That's all I have to say about that. :)

O.k. So I've been thinking a lot this week about scents, and how they affect my nostalgia for certain events of the past, good memories and all that.

"Oooh That Smell"

Some smells I like but are not attached to memories... such as dry erase markers, paint fumes and inks... Oh wait, that's not true paint fumes and inks take me right back to when I was in school for Commercial Art/Graphic Design... with my favorite teacher, Kim Varnadoe... I miss that alot.

So, let's see, there is this air freshener in the Ladies' bathroom that reminds me of when I rented out my friend Bo's house for $200 dollars a month. I stayed there nearly a year-I rented the house thinking that it would bring me closer to him, but it didn't really... Alas that wasn't meant to be. Other scents that remind me of that house are certain incense aromas, and candles. Funny how we had always remained good friends and still speak even now when I see him, but my huge crush just never panned out. All for the better for sure. (Tamra knows this whole story).

There are certain colognes that remind me of teachers I had in school, even teachers as far back as first grade if you can imagine that! And not just scents take me back to school, but on some rainy days I can still remember the sensation of being in a classroom, feeling so cozy and comfortable because of the storm... I have always loved rainstorms and it never ceased to please me going to school on a rainy day... Even now, storms totally soothe my soul... Rain has a smell too (I'm getting off track from scents... I digress).

There's a certain smell (a cool crispness) that comes with fall... and sometimes it works hand in hand with when I smell smoke. Whether it be smoke from someone burning their first fire of the season, or smoke from campfires and cooking out, I always think of growing up with Mom and her campfires and sometimes just burning trash or leaves in the back yard... It makes me feel cozy, and I pine for Winter... and snow.

Speaking of Pine, pine scented candles, for a long time made me miss my "Z" (see Butterflies Zebras and Moonbeams story if you've never read it-it's my hottest love story). The time I spent with "Z" was all through the cold months too, so I guess there are many reasons that I am fond of fall and winter.

Back to colognes (mine and others): Windsong, I relate to my Mother. Stetson for a long time I connected with my marine ex-boyfriend Lee (he always wore Stetson and it mixed with the scent of his Leather duster) It smelled very sexy at the time. Eternity cologne will always remind me of Manny (he is the one who sprayed me with it and then inhaled me, thus making me addicted to wearing Eternity for, well Eternity! lol). Sunflowers reminds me of a lot of fun times in the mid-later 90s, and I like the smell of that. Of course, one of the most infamous that I speak of sometimes is a classic that my sister, Vickie and I still laugh about... It was Oscar De La Renta (she still wears it sometimes). We would ride around in the summertime in her Green Thunderbird with white leather seats, she would take my nieces to softball, or whatever and we'd have all the windows rolled down, and her Oscar would permeate the air... memories, memories, memories... Isn't it funny how certain smells can take you right back, almost like a time machine?

What's in your Olfactory Closet??