*The Scents of Home

The screen door slammed shut behind me, after walking up the gravel driveway where the school bus had deposited the seven of us.  

"Mo-om!" Always two syllables in the word mom when I wanted to find her. "We're ho-ome!" She was usually up in her sewing room, or in the kitchen. The smell of home-baked bread filled my nostrils. I would find her in a bit; I just wanted her to know we were home. I was hungry after a long day at school, and the smells from the kitchen enticed me to follow my nose.

The Iseman-Beidler Home in Shipman, Virginia in the seventies.

The sweet memories I have of home are based on smells, one of my strongest memory triggers. Onions and garlic sautéing on the stove, smoke from the chimney drifting over the yard, bread out of the oven; all of these have a profound affect on me. It seems I passed on my love of sensory experiences to my children.

My daughter and I have bonded over our reaction to the sense of touch. Whenever we shop, you can find us gliding our hands over every single towel, blanket, rug, and sweater. If it's soft, we have to stop, and share the feeling. With my boys, we seem to connect over smells.

Every time Bridger visited, he would stand in front of the linen closet and take a deep, inhaling breath.  

"Aaaaah..." he would exhale.  "I love this."  

Me, too. The scents of Tide and Downy intermingled among the sheets and towels make me react the same way. He still loves to press his face into clothes fresh out of the dryer.

When the kids were babies, I would empty the clothing hot out of the dryer onto them on the couch. They each squirmed with delight at the warmth and smells that came from the clean clothes. I suppose that's one reason I have always loved doing laundry since becoming a mom. I control the scents that go into the washer and dryer, and I had more than two decades of pleasant memories of folding the clothes on the couch while the kids watched TV.

In November, my 26 year-old came to Marysvale to visit me for my birthday weekend. When he opened the door, he said, "Ahhhh, your house always smells so good."

"Thanks!  It's probably the pumpkin spice candle..."

"No," he cut me off, "You always make such good food, and that makes the house smell good."

I smiled. The smell of garlic and onions simmering on the stove always reminds me of coming home from school. Mom always started dinner that way, it seemed, and it smelled like love to me. A casserole in the oven or a roast in the crockpot smells like someone took the time to love me.

The boys helped me decorate my artificial tree before the holidays. There was no sweet smell of pine in my house, and we all missed it. We always had a real tree in our old farmhouse when they were growing up. Putting up the tree was one of my favorite memories with my children. 

These days, I put up my tree WEEKS before Christmas; I don't dare have a real one. We would have a real fire hazard on our hands if I had a real tree up for two months.  

During the fall and winter holidays, I fill our home with the smells of candles scented with cinnamon, evergreen, and pumpkin, and I wallow in the smells of dinner simmering on the stove, or baked goods coming out of the oven.

In the spring and summer, I love smelling the tropical scents of citrus fruits and coconut. Light floral smells, and anything that reminds me of summer tantalize my senses.

Whenever someone comments on the pleasant fragrances coming from my kitchen, it reminds me to fully dwell in the moment, and appreciate it for what it is.  My home smells like love, and the scent of today will be the memory of tomorrow.

*Flooding My Senses

A big part of who I am derives extreme pleasure from utilizing my five senses. Visually speaking, my eyes delight in the most ordinary of sights, seeing things as if for the first time. When my nose detects pleasant fragrances, I find my body reacts to the scents, either relaxing into them, or feeling energized by them. My sense of touch goes into overdrive when my skin comes in contact with smooth or soft textures.  Savoring yummy foods is one of my mouth's greatest pleasures: cool and creamy, salty and crunchy, warm and spicy, sweet and chewy.  And although my sense of hearing is diminished, I love listening to sounds; music, voices, and especially, the sounds found outdoors in nature.

Sensual to me is less Victoria's Secret, and more Bath and Body Works.  It's not as much about lingerie as it is the softest, comfiest fabrics for towels, sheets, and clothing.  It involves all of the senses, not just the sensual arousal that takes place behind closed doors.

Some folks may not always appreciate my boundless enthusiasm for sensory experiences. I ooh and ah over sunsets and towels,  bright stars and ice cream, fall leaves and pumpkin candles, soft sheets and squirming puppies. Some of my favorite experiences are farmers' markets and home goods stores; feasts for all of my senses.  I remember one time I was gushing over some glorious, puffy, white clouds, and there was some eye-rolling involved with the company I kept. "They're just regular, ordinary clouds, Denise. They are not that unusual."  Hmph.  

Well, in MY world, when I am immersing myself in as many moments as I can, it's like seeing everything for the first time. I bought myself a camera so that I can record these wondrous images to capture the now.  The camera and I concur that everything is worthy of having its picture taken, if you look at it from just the right perspective.  My Canon takes the pressure off of my husband to try to drum up enough of an enthusiastic response to suit me, and I love catching a moment through my lens to enjoy at a later time.

I love the gift shop at Cracker Barrel, and it never fails to disappoint my senses. I wandered through the gift shop, running my fingers over the fabrics, lifting the lids of candles to sniff the fragrances, and seeing the wide array of artfully arranged home decor and gift items. 

After my bath that day, I'd used my Bath and Body lotion; I'd lit the autumn-fragranced candles; I had gathered the dirty dishes and started the dishwasher. The washing machine and dryer were running.  My house was filling up with the fragrances that turn it into a home.