FAMILY MEMORIES

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What smells remind you of your childhood?

I have been thinking of different smells and how easily I can be transported to a memory by certain smells. The combination of bleach and Old Spice cologne reminds me of my first boyfriend in high school, Chad, and going to see Sound of Music in a theater in Chicago with him. Lilacs take me back to Lombard, Illinois and the lilac festival; lilacs always make me smile. Nancy Franklin, Texas USA

The smell of fresh yeast bread baking takes me back to my days as a young mother with babies and toddlers, since that is the time I stayed home long enough to bake bread, always a whole grain bread! That was a wonderful time in my life, and my family misses that homemade bread! The smell of flowersroses, day lilies, gardenias makes me smile as I remember our 4 daughters weddingsgala, fun celebrations with family and friends (always dancing to YMCA, and doing the Hokey Pokey and the Chicken), and those dear ones that were at the various weddings and have since died. That fresh, wonderful smell of a newborn, breastfed babyenjoying that once again while holding our grandchildren takes me back to my breastfeeding days.
Pam Oselka, Indiana USA

The fresh smell of hung out to dry sheets when I crawl into bed.
The smell of wood smoke always reminds me of camping. Me, to. Fond memories of that. Wendy Masters, Indiana USA

The pleasant memories I have are of things that remind me of my childhood in England; Boots the Chemist (a large drug store chain); lavender, which is my mothers favourite scent (her house is called Lavender Cottage); airplane fuel, which reminds me of my frequent travels; and sandalwood. I also have strong memories of my father making beer, smelling the hops cooking all evening, holding the cheesecloth while he strained the hot smelly brew, and hearing the occasional pop as one of the bottles would burst in the garage. Because of the smell, I have never been able to even sip a beer to this day. Although I hated the smell then, it somehow brings back pleasant memories for me now. The strongest memories of smells that I have are of the streets of Hong Kong where I lived as a teenager. There are many markets there and a great variety of foods mingling in the hot humid air. Each time I became pregnant, I would be thankful that I wasnt living there any more because my delicate stomach couldnt handle strong odours! Carol Meredith, Texas and Maryland USA

First is the smell of gasoline, grease, and oil. We ran a gas station as our family business, and I worked in there for quite a few years. Even as young children we were in charge of filling the candy machine or pulling weeds, so to this day I love walking into service stations or auto dealerships. The smell sets me totally at ease and even helps me to relax -- tends to confuse the mostly me who work in those places also! Second is the smell of The Lincoln Electric factory in Cleveland, Ohio... I worked there for five years myself, took welding school there, and my husband is still employed by them (although he now works here in Mexico for them). It is a manufacturing facility and the metal and chemical smells, particularly some of the smells related to the production of welding rod also are very comforting. I know... extremely odd... but I've always loved technology! Meg Sondey, Mexico

My family will tell you that I have the most sensitive nose. That being said, all sorts of smells conjure up memories for me. Since it is summertime the smell of fresh cut grass reminds me of playing in the backyard as a child. We had nine children in my family, and there were many other large families in our neighborhood. In the summer evenings, we always played games of tag, red light green light hope to see the ghost to night, or scatter ball in our backyard (or one of the other large familys yard). We also spent lots of time catching lightening bugs. I love the smell of water. Chlorinated water reminds me of swimming, which I love to do. But as a child, I liked swimming in the lake much better because I didnt have to wear a bathing cap. So, I like the smell of a lake too. I also love storms. So I enjoy all sorts of water smells. The smell of a fire always reminds me of camping. I am quite a pyromaniac when it comes to playing with fire. I can only truly enjoy the smell if I can sit and poke the logs around. Otherwise, it drives me crazy to smell a fire when I cant have one. I too grew up in Lombard, and we had a row of lilac bushes about 150 feet long. One of our neighbors worked at Lilacia Park, and she kept all sorts of little gardens in her yard. She had mostly tulips. So lilacs and tulips always bring back fond memories. I also had a little pretend spot on the Prairie Path, which back then was an abandoned train track. There was a small patch of Lily of the Valley flowers. I loved them so much that I wore the perfume Muguet throughout high school, which also reminds me of dating. I wont put those memories into print. You can use your imagination. ;-)
But the smell that reminds me of childhood most is the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking. My mother always made chocolate chip cookies. If there werent any in the cookie jar when we came home from school, she was in the process of baking them. Can you believe when we were kids, we longed for store bought cookies because they were a rare treat! I am still a cookie fiend today. My usual breakfast is a cup of tea and 3 chocolate chip cookies. The one smell that I loved the most that cant be duplicated was the breath of my babies. When they fell asleep in my arms, I would inhale their breath and enjoy the moment so much. Unfortunately, I dont think that is a smell that can ever be duplicated again. Sue Steilen, Illiniois USA

The sour cream breath of my nursing babies is my favorite scent memory. Next comes a freshly bathed baby. I also love the smell of freshly dried clothes, (I don't have a outdoor line or I would use one). My cats also love the laundry, they hear me taking it out of the dryer. I love the smell of bread baking, fresh coffee in the morning. A reminder of my childhood is the salty scent of the ocean. My grandmother's biscuits. Both my parents were in the medical profession, so I remember a smell from the hospital each day as they returned home. And now, I love the scent of my kitties, warm and sweet. My favorite flower scent is Gardenia's. Susan Waterman, USA

Smells and sounds are truoly evocative for me. My first memory is that of hot tar on the road outside my gandparents' home. It brings back the feeling of being special, being on holiday, having to be careful not to get the tar on our clothes or skin! Other smells are asociated with coming home after school when my mother would have been baking, the small of my own home and the feeling of real plreasure and relaxation that brings when I walk in the door. I aslo love Anais Anais perfume and see it as a real treat. It always reminds me of my dear friends on the LLLI BOD, probably because when we were meeting was the only time that I even thought to put in on at the start of a day! The smell of shoe polish - lovely. I could still feel the sun on my back as I polished my black school shoes outside before the start of another week. The hot warm smell of the beach at Cape Cod. Sounds are also important - the sound of sparrows twittering takes me right back to the chapel at school. Birds seemed to roost immediately outside the windows. Certain songs bring back memories too. The sense of smell and hearing are such gifts. Anne Devereux, New Zealand

The smell of tunafish salad with eggs and sweet pickles makes me think of my kitchen growing up and watching my mom cut EVERYTHING into tiny, tiny pieces. So slap-dash salad making for her! I used to get impatient but now I watch all those cooking shows and see how small pieces sometimes enable flavors to better blend, so... she knew what she was doing! The smell of a small child's freshly washed hair is precious to me. It makes me grateful to have the child and grateful that we live in a country where water and soap are so abundant. The smell of a motorboat - the mixture of gas and oil - reminds me of my dad and the countless hours he spent pulling us around the lake in Texas. I thought he loved to do it, but now I realize it was a sacrifice, too. The smell of pinto beans slow cooking reminds me of my grandmother. I spent hours watching her make biscuits and corn bread, grabbing and sifting flour from a flour drawer she had in her kitchen. I love the smell of a library! Spent many hours in libraries as a child. Janet Jendron South Carolina USA

I love the smell of a library also. Must be why I became a librarian! At the school library where I worked, every so often someone would come in - adult or child - and give a big sniff. Ah, the library! Edna Kelly, Texas USA