Smells Like....

[Veronica]

I just opened up a drawer that I don't get into very often. It smells like crayons. I like that smell. It made me smile. :) I like to color. Thom says that I'm only a teacher because it gives me an excuse to read kids' literature (love when the Newberry's get announced. I buy them all.) and I get to do art. I stink at art though.

So what unexpected smells make you smile? (Not guffaw MP!)


V.

[SadieKate]

The smell of autumn - as in dead salmon and rotting cottonwoods and aspen. OK, OK, I love steelheading in Oregon in October!

[Lise]

I'm right there with you about the crayons, V. Oil paint also smells incredibly wonderful.

Burning leaves. One of my favorite smells, followed closely by a fire in the fireplace.

That smell in the air right before it rains.

The scent of slightly damp wool when I bury my face in my cat's fur.

Freshly ground coffee; sheets hung to dry on the line; onions cooking; copal incense burning.

V-my mom's a children's librarian. I have no shame in reading "young adult" literature. I would have missed His Dark Materials if I did!

[snapdragen]

Honeysuckle at night

Champa incense

Wet days

Puppy paws

[maillotpois]

Yes! The right before it rains one.

and snow. How can snow, which is just WATER, have a smell? But t does, and it is wonderful!!

A barley field in the summer. Smells like home.

I was hiking down this valley yesterday (Waipio) and there was this smell that was the most wonderful thing ever. Like spices and fruit all in one. It must have been some amazing tree. I wish I knew what it was.

[Lise]

Oh, yes, puppy paws! They smell like Fritos!

And snow. A snowy evening, early in winter, everything's so quiet and beautiful, and yes, smells so good.

I had a Somali patient come see me a few weeks ago who smelled so wonderful, like incense and spices. I wished she could just sit in my exam room all day. I had one lady from Ghana whose hair smelled sort of the same way--rich and spicy. She had her baby, and the baby needed to stay in the nursery for a few days. I was walking down the hallway near the nursery one day, and I smelled that wonderful scent--sure enough, there she was!

[Trekhawk]

Baking bread.:)

[DebW]

That smell in the air right before it rains.

That's ozone, and it's not good for you to breath it for very long. But you can still enjoy the smell if you want to.

[SadieKate]

Well, that put a damper on the conversation . . . :rolleyes:

[DebW]

Sorry.

[SadieKate]

So, what smells good to you and makes you smile, Deb?

[Lise]

That's ozone, and it's not good for you to breath it for very long. But you can still enjoy the smell if you want to.
But I'll die happy! :D

[7rider]

Okay, I'm not Deb, but I'll jump in here.
I love the smell of my bunnies heads! Bury my nose right between their ears! Sweet, fresh, hay and fuzz. Oh, and bunny breath after they eat cilantro or basil!
Okay, can you tell I've just been hangin' with the buns??

[salsabike]

That one day in the first of spring, when the last of the snow is melting away and you can smell the earth coming back to life--and that's the day you KNOW winter is gone for good. I LOVE that smell, and I don't get to smell it anymore now that I live in the PNW. That's one thing I really miss.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I love the lingering smell of a campfire in my hair.
And the smell of lanolin on my hands when I'm knitting with good wool.
I love the smell of my husband's beard.

[CyclChyk]

Smells I love:
1. The smell of old people cuz it reminds me of my grandparents who are no longer with us but I love dearly and miss terribly.
2. The smell of my hubby's shirts (not the ones he sweats profusely in; the other ones) cuz they just smell like home.
3. Garlic sauteing in a pan
4. Liver frying in a pan
5. The smell of the coming rain that has not yet fallen...........

[salsabike]

I love the smell of my cats when I'm burying my head in their fur (thereby inhaling large quantities of cat hairs).

[pepe6599]

I like the smell of snow right when it's about to fall. :D When i was living in Colorado I would always be outside when it was snowing.

[roguedog]

smell of a clear day after a rainy night

the smell of woodsmoke in the air

smell of rice cooking

smell of puppy breath

smell of sun dried clothes

smell of sunrise, that fresh, cool morning air


"these are some of my favorite things" .. ha.. may this song be going thru your head as it is in mine now!

[Kano]

puppy paws -- this reminds me that many years ago, the St. Paul, MN newspaper, yes, a paper paper, had a "bulletin board" area. Sort of a community free for all, and they had a thread that went on for quite some time about the delightful smell of puppy paws.

people say babies, but my Xander -- grandson #1 always smelled of sour milk, which wasn't especially pleasant. grandson #2 smells much better!

baked things -- particularly apple/cinnamon type smells!!

Karen in Boise

[Melstar]

I like the smell of sizzling onions wafting from the roadside vendors... but i don't like the way the smell stays on the clothing :p

[Tater]

I echo liking the smell of snow and woodsmoke.

Noxzema face cream. Just a light whiff of this stuff reminds me of my great-grandmother who always used it.

Cinnamon bread. Reminds me of my mom's baked goods. Now I enjoy baking and making the house smell warm and sweet.

Pine trees. Love the mountains and the trees, but this reminds me of my grandmother.

Mr. Tater's neck. Smells clean...like soap, aftershave, sometimes his leather motorcycle jacket and just HIM.

[mimitabby]

I love the smell of the sun in my tortie cat's fur.

I love the smell of frying garlic in olive oil and the smell of cooking artichokes.

I love the smell of burning eastern cedar

and believe it or not, what makes ME smile is the smell of a skunk.
We don't have a lot of skunks here in NW washington, so whenever I smell
a skunk i think of years ago when I lived in Idaho .. or further years ago when I lived in NJ.


and I LOVE the smell of chocolate! and if someone else is eating it I can smell it.
It doesn't make me smile though; unless they share it with me.:rolleyes:

[Nanci]

Eew, BF loves skunk smell. It gives me a headache.

I like mown hay. Horse smell. Pigeon smell. Lilacs. Citrus blossoms.

[mimitabby]

Eew, BF loves skunk smell. It gives me a headache.

I like mown hay. Horse smell. Pigeon smell. Lilacs. Citrus blossoms.

Except for the pigeon smell, I love all those too. we have skunk cabbage all over the pacific north west. It smells like skunk too.. ummm

(Pigeon smell?? makes me think of downtown, litter, and homeless people.. urban pigeons are the only ones I've ever made the acquaintance)

[Haudlady]

Cloves, cardamon, cilantro, garlic, fresh basil, pot roast, tomato right from the garden (ooh - I'm getting hungry!)...

Fresh cut grass, hay, my horses' skin, my tiger cat's nose (I had better like how it smells, since he spends his time touching it to mine, and purrrrrrring!)...

a branch of applewood in my woodstove, rich hot chocolate...

[DebW]

So, what smells good to you and makes you smile, Deb?

I've been wracking my brain over this, because I'm really not very tuned to smells except as things to be avoided most of the time. Maybe I'm missing the gene for olfactory appreciation. But I do like the smell of

Balsam fir in the mountains of New England.

I also like the smell of bike grease and WD-40, but when the smell has been on my hands for 24 hours I've had enough.

Wet wool clothing has a smell that reminds you that you'll be warm even when wet, but other than the practical value it's not that good of a smell IMO.

[KnottedYet]

I like skunk smell, too. From a distance.

[mimitabby]

I

I also like the smell of bike grease and WD-40, IMO.

we knew you liked the smell of bike grease, Deb!

KY, of course, when I've been really really in deep in the skunk smell i didn't like it anymore either :D

[kaybee]

I love the smell of: puppy breath; my dogs after a bath; burning sugar cane; chocolate. (I know, it IS an environmental hazard, but I grew up in South Louisiana, and the cane that was being harvested was burned to remove the leaves before going to the mill, so that smell reminds me of my childhood!)

KB

[Nanci]

It's not the pigeon POO smell, it's the dusty, clean birdy, warm smell of their backs.

I was trying to think if there was _any_ breath smell I like, and came up with horse breath, you know, if you put your nose in their nose and breathe. I think they like that too. Dog or cat- yuck!

[Nanci]

I don't like any smoke/fire smell. But how about a pile of leaves?? Or pine. Or that smell that ice gets in the spring when it's all melty and muddy and dirty.

[Haudlady]

It's not the pigeon POO smell, it's the dusty, clean birdy, warm smell of their backs.

I was trying to think if there was _any_ breath smell I like, and came up with horse breath, you know, if you put your nose in their nose and breathe. I think they like that too. Dog or cat- yuck!

Pigeon POO - LOL!!!

I'm with you on horse breath - both sweet and, well, clean-smelling!

[mtbdarby]

Lise, I never would of thought that puppy paws smelled like fritos - to me they smell like, well, feet. (note to self to smell dog paws when I get home:p ).

Fresh coffe, cookies baking, homemade bread, pine trees, my doggies, a clean baby, jasmine and vanilla, lilac, a nice manly scent, mulberry, the smell of a new book, new money....I could go on and on...

[Bruno28]

Garlic, lemon thyme and rosemary....mmmm time for dinner.

[SadieKate]

Wet sage and pinyon after a rain. Reminds me of my family's road trips through the southwest.

[SadieKate]

I also like the smell of bike grease and WD-40, but when the smell has been on my hands for 24 hours I've had enough.Surprise, surprise, surprise! Did that sound like Gomer Pyle? :D

Though I am surprised you don't have blue Loctite on that list.

We get fresh mixed evergreen garlands at Christmas time. The smell in the house when you walk in the door is amazing.

[margo49]

lime, jasmine, lemon, line-dried laundry, male pollens (eg date flowers, henna flowers), fresh milk (cow, goat or sheep), Bombay Sapphire gin, Glen Fiddich whisky, sacramental wine, rain, new shoes, winter soup, melted butter.

[HappyAnika]

That's ozone, and it's not good for you to breath it for very long. But you can still enjoy the smell if you want to.

Actually, I read that the smell was caused by the low pressure that moves in before it rains. The lower pressure in the air draws up the higher pressure air in the ground, creating an "earthy" smell. I can't remember where I read this, so I'm not sure if its true, but it makes a lot of sense.

Anyway, my favorite smell that always makes me smile is fallen leaves in autumn. I also love: pine trees, especially ponderosa, in the summer the trunks smell like butterscotch; onions and garlic sauteed in olive oil, fresh basil, a newly opened bag of coffee, the bouquet of a fine red wine swirled in my glass. :)

[GLC1968]

puppy breath
sawdust/fresh cut wood
new tennis balls
dirt/earth
snow
lilacs

What great memories this thread is bringing up!! :)

[Bad JuJu]

Yes, my dog's paws totally smell like Fritos--who knew? LOL
I also love to smell my dog's head. Even when the rest of him needs a bath, his head smells good--to me, at least.
The smell of our bay when the tide's in and it smells like the saltier water in the Gulf.
Fresh coffee--I love the smell of it, but I can't stand to drink it.:confused:
A pot of boiling Cajun-spiced shrimp.
The scent a fresh Christmas tree gives to the house.

[Bluetree]

Warm towels after they come out of the dryer
(Using Downey in the rinse cycle, of course)

Barbeque

The briny ocean breeze at dawn

Linseed oil

My BF's shirt

Candle stores

That first cup of steaming coffee in the morning, freshly ground and brewed, preferably Kona.

[Denise223]

Another great thread ...... :)

I love the smell of:

freshly laundered clothes,
my beautiful acoustic guitars,
cinammon,
apples - (esp when we head out to "apple country" to pick some apples)

my husband's pillow, (when I was in the hospital last October, his pillow was my request - so I could feel close to him),

our furcats :D

home baked cookies (oatmeal raisin or chocolate chip)


Originally posted by mtdarby Lise, I never would of thought that puppy paws smelled like fritos - to me they smell like, well, feet. (note to self to smell dog paws when I get home ).

*I always thought that dogs paws smelled like sweaty feet/socks -- I can see where "fritos" comes into this ;) *
I LOVE furdogs -- too bad I'm allergic!

I could think of soooooooooo many more things.......

Peace & Love to All,

Denise

[mtkitchn]

Anyway, my favorite smell that always makes me smile is fallen leaves in autumn. I also love: pine trees, especially ponderosa, in the summer the trunks smell like butterscotch; onions and garlic sauteed in olive oil, fresh basil, a newly opened bag of coffee, the bouquet of a fine red wine swirled in my glass. :)


Those are exactly my favorite smells!
I also love the smell of a peaceful lake and the worms (or leeches) when I'm out fishing...
and the smell of jet fuel in the morning.....:)

[Aggie_Ama]

#1 smell- Gardenias. My Pawpaw had such a green thumb and would have the most beautiful Gardenia bushes. He would cut a bloom off to send home with me, by the time I drove the 20 miles home my car would smell so lovely. Everytime I smell a real (not the silly fragrance junk) gardenia I think of my Pawpaw.

I also like:
-Fresh cut grass (if I have allergy medicine)
-The smell before rain
-Fresh Roses (not the florist kind)
-My DH right after he showers.
-Spice Cake baking (especially my Mammaw's recipe)
-Mammaw's cornbread

[Lise]

Last January I was in Florida, near Largo, for a conference. I went for a run, and came to a park. At the entrance, people had dumped their Christmas trees. The smell was unbelieveable. My Grandma had these little "balsam pillows", stuffed with pine needles. I would hold one up to my nose and smell and smell it. This park was like being inside a balsam pillow. I just stood there and took the deepest breaths I could. What an unexpected delight.
..................
Other lovely smells--Aqua Velva (Grandpa), Brut (my first boyfriend). I agree about Noxema, and Cover Girl makeup! They were "grown up" smells--when I first got to wear cosmetics. That rich, warm cow/horse/hay smell of a barn. Apple pie baking. Someone else said pot roast. The smell of Lake Michigan (in a non-alewife year!), and very differently, the smell of the ocean.

[short cut sally]

a few normal things i like to smell
pine trees, lavender, the smoke from a campfire and how it lingers on clothes, peony flowers, fresh brewing coffee, leaves in the fall- esp. getting chopped up in the mower, and the smell of cedar chest or closets, reminds me of my grandparents. The 2 oddities are silicone and anti-freeze (husband has a garage and thinks they are the oddest things to like to smell) So i'm not right...:rolleyes:

[Raindrop]

I love the smell of babys' necks, the smell of hot summer pavement when there's a sudden summer rain, the smell of snow (yes, there is a smell), the smell of a simmering pot of spaghetti sauce, and rosemary.

Every once in awhile we take a vacation to Northern California, or Tahoe and I smell the sugar pines and it reminds me of being a kid living in Lassen, Calif.
Or, the smell of clay takes me back to school and rolling out snakes of clay.

Good Thread!

[Lise]

Playdoh! And that kind of paste glue that kids used to eat. I never ate it, but I loved to smell it. Sea & Ski lip balms.

[Hub]

Puppy breath- it only last so long-

fresh coffee ( Barnes and Nobles stores always smell good),
Krispy Kreme donuts
chocolate (duh!:o )
Olive oil poured over hot pasta
New Car (Yum- I love a Lexus!)
Vanilla extract
gardenias, honeysuckle and magnolia- 3 scents that cannot be recreated

and diesel engines ( we used to have a Monaco diesel motor home with a - Cummins ISC 230)

[Denise223]

You all reminded me.....

I love the smell of pine trees, too!

The smell of "coppertone" sunscreen reminds me of summers in the late
1960's down the Cape with my family! (I don't go into the sun anymore... :) "Pale is the new tan!" ).

Peace & Love,

Denise

[HappyAnika]

Those are exactly my favorite smells!
I also love the smell of a peaceful lake and the worms (or leeches) when I'm out fishing...
and the smell of jet fuel in the morning.....:)

How funny we like the same smells (although I'll pass on the jet fuel). I used to live in Tucson and Phx. and I never realized how much I loved fall until I moved back to a place with deciduous trees! You just don't get that nice autumn smell in Phx.

I don't understand this thing about puppy breath.:confused: Ever since my dog was 7 weeks old she's had less than pleasant breath, not horrendous, but definitely not enjoyable! My other dog was 16 weeks when I got her and her breath has always been very neutral.

Oh, and I'll have to have DH smell their feet to see if its like fritos. I have an issue with feet, including my own.

[Nashville Mish]

PUPPY BREATH.. just love it. Then they grow out of it and it is definately not so good, especially when they have been trash can diving. :rolleyes:

Plumeria and Pikakii flowers. I lived in Hawaii for almost eight years..yum.

Coffee, helps me get going in the morning

Camp fires and wood fires, I just love the fall

Polo for men, first boyfriends and all that :p

Warm sheets from the dryer and warm Man after...erm..well you know..:o

[snapdragen]

PUPPY BREATH.. just love it. Then they grow out of it and it is definately not so good, especially when they have been trash can diving. :rolleyes:


Or having a yummy cat poop snack! :eek:

[ladyfish]

#1 - The smell of the desert when it rains. This is one you can't get anywhere else. I miss it living in the NE. I was thrilled that it rained when I was home in AZ visiting last month!!!:)

#2 - the smell of babies

#3 - fresh mown grass

#4 - chocolate (If you've ever visited Hershey, PA you know what I mean!)

#5 - Coffee smell (even though I can't stand to drink the stuff)

I'm sure there's more, but those are top of the list.

[mtkitchn]

[QUOTE=HappyAnika;125493]How funny we like the same smells (although I'll pass on the jet fuel). I used to live in Tucson and Phx. and I never realized how much I loved fall until I moved back to a place with deciduous trees! You just don't get that nice autumn smell in Phx.

I understand your passing on the jet fuel smell.;)
I sure do miss the smell of autumn. I grew up in Pittsburgh and don't get that down here in Phoenix!!!
I also miss the smell of the honeysuckles back there....

[Raindrop]

Chickwhorips may agree with me on this one, since I grew up in Alaska and she's still there. In Winter there is a noticably absent "green" smell. In fact, I lived fairly close to a green house after I was married and I used to walk over there just so I could go in and smell the dirt and the plants. You miss that during the long, long winters.

[Kitsune06]

I'm very much a scent person... hardly anything smells 'bad' to me, but lots are better than others.

I love the hay/barn/horse/cow smell...
the 'green' smell of spring and the clear, clean smell of snow... wet sidewalks in summer and 'ozone'
I love the 'shop' smell of sweat, grease, rust, old iron, steel and WD-40; Gasolene and Diesel exhaust and old leather work gloves
I like 'clean' sweaty scents, and the warm, mineral smell of sweat meeting cool shower water
I very often like the smell of breath, but not mouth-breathing, just the warm smell of air just through the nose as someone sleeps beside you
I used to love the combination of sweat, oak sawdust, chain saw exhaust and gas as Dad and I logged in WI.
Bourbon and whiskey, the peaty smell of fine, aged scotch, brandy and cognac-dipped (expensive) cigars
Camp fire smoke and the smell of birch and sugar maple burning
The smell of venison, rich and almost waxy in the slow-cooker
Deer lures, esp. the kind with anise in them; so musky but 'right' in the chill November air
the dusty, warm smell of turkey feathers and fans on May mornings, combined with the brown call rosin/chalk and the smell of the sunshine on your old, musty camo clothes and the forest floor
the hot sulphurous scent of spent shells, sassafras bore butter and Hopps No. 9
the 'green' smell of healthy marshes, teeming with life in the summer; the kind I grew up in
The smell of post offices, b/c my dad's 'mail car' always had that dust/paper/adhesive smell to it
Chandans and Champas
sauteeing garlic, dark miso and soy sauces, nori and salmon...
mmm.
I need to go home and visit...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

The little toe pads of my two pugs used to smell more like popcorn than Fritos....my daughters pointed this out to me originally. "Mommy, mommy!! Kinky and Sukey's paws smell like popcorn, check it out!" It was true.

[RoadRaven]

Kipling wrote some great poems and one line from one of his poems really stands out and screams to heard in this thread.

"Smells are surer than sight or sound to make the heart-strings crack"

So true
:)

[Aggie_Ama]

Kipling wrote some great poems and one line from one of his poems really stands out and screams to heard in this thread.

"Smells are surer than sight or sound to make the heart-strings crack"

So true
:)


Very good quote and so true. I was thinking about this thread yesterday. Our receptionist at work is an older woman (late 50's or early 60's) and a heavy smoker, she wears too much Beautiful by Estee Lauder perfume. My Nanny switched to Beautiful when I was in 4th or 5th grade and is a heavy smoker. I don't smell the smoke on her, but she has a distinct smell from the combination of her perfume and smoke. Yesterday, after talking to our receptionist, I was fondly reminded of my Nanny and made a note to call her after work. It is funny how our receptionist's habit I hate combines with her perfume in the same way and makes her smell so comforting. I think it is probably overwhelming for most of our co-workers, but it makes me feel good.

[crazycanuck]

Favorite smells-

The smell on Sheets & clothing after they've dried on the line. (no fabric softners, just from the washing machine to the line that's all)

The smell right after a match is lit..(no i'm not a pyromaniac & don't light matches very often)

Miso soup
The fresh smell after you've cleaned & aired out your house
Roobois tea & honey
Roast with fresh garlic
Hot water & soap
Seaweed & the ocean


I don''t understand how a baby smells nice....

c

[carback]

Silly Putty (takes me back a lot of years)
Plasticine (see above)
Gas (as in when you're filling up your car - not as in a substance-abuse problem)
freshly cut grass
BBQ hamburgers (and I'm a vegetarian!)

[CyclChyk]

Lise reminded me of this, but for some reason every FRICKIN' time I smell Playdoh I want to EAT IT!!!! :eek: It smells YUMMY to me!!!

Just another one of my weird idiosyncrocies I guess... :rolleyes:

[salsabike]

I spent my CHILDHOOD eating Playdoh. The kid equivalent of a salt lick. Still love the smell.

[Xrayted]

Mmmmm... playdoh. Oh, yeah. :cool:
I went on a binge one time when I was around 4 y.o. and got really sick. Actually, now that I look back, it wasn't the actual playdoh that made me sick. It was whatever my mom had to give me to release it when it got "stuck in there". :o Still love the smell of it though.

the smell of...
Early morning breeze off the ocean
Orange blossoms
Fresh cut grass
Honeysuckle
Fresh brewed coffee (don't drink it though - hate the taste)
Steak sizzling on the grill
Wild mint tea on the edge of my yard
Strawberries

[run it, ride it]

I love the smell of fresh, rich alfalfa hay; a new bed of woodchips in a horse's stall; the scent of wet horses when they come in from autumn rain; the combination of leather and horse that emanates from the tack room; I love to inhale my horse's breath; and the scent of wet arena dirt; the sweet smell of a brand new corn broom...

[cherinyc]

[QUOTE=Lise;124930]Oh, yes, puppy paws! They smell like Fritos!
QUOTE]

yes yes yes - paws smell like Fritos. What's up with that? I would definitely say that (crazy as it sounds) the smell of my dog is one of the most comforting to me.