Tuesday’s Tell All this week is – Smell

Have you ever noticed that certain smells can make you suddenly remember a particular event? I have several odors that transport me back in time every single time I smell them. I actually have a flash back and can remember almost everything about the setting.


Milk – Kindergarten in Elko , NV . We had snack time and often had Pink Hostess Sno-balls. It also reminds me of the purple nap rug I had
Bottled Tomatoes – My Grandma Black. She would bottle tomatoes every fall
Beef Roast – My Grandma Black. She made the best ever!
All Bran Cereal – My Grandma Black. She had a bowl every morning, only she would just put a little bit in the bottom, and then put Corn Flakes on top.
Fresh Cut Grass – Believe it or not I actually like to mow the lawn. I love the fresh smell of the lawn after it is mowed
Sage – 2 things; Thanksgiving and Granite Seed in the Fall
Coffee – Grandma and Grandpa Beal's house. This also has a sound associated with it as well. They had an old peculator coffee pot that made a very unique sound
Russian Olive trees – June by Utah Lake
Wind Song Perfume – Jeff Gray in Jackson Hole
Diesel Fuel - Greg
Propane – Greg’s Trailer
Ocean – Beach on San Juan Island, the ferry and how the water tastes at Roche Harbor
Baby Spit up on your shoulder – I know it sounds gross, but after I lost my babies, I would love to smell that smell. I would try to find anyone with a baby to hold.
Cotton Candy - CARNIES
Horse Manure – Rodeo- to Matthews horror, I at one time considered myself somewhat of a cowgirl. Well at least I hung out with all the cowboys.
Pine – Salt City Candle; Christmas time, trying to make a fake tree smell real.
Green Chilies – Green chili casserole.....yummy
Fried Chicken – Sunday Dinner at our house in American Fork as a kid. We would cut up the chicken, and cook it in our electric skillet. To this day I don't know how we fed a family of 6 on one chicken.
Tide/Downy – Mom - She always has insists on having the best when she can. At times in my life Tide and Downy were a luxury, so now when I can get them, I feel like a member of the elite class and I feel closer to my Mom
Dirt – Spring, I love to work in the garden
Campfire – Hospital – The smell of fire brings to me images of being in the hospital when I was 2 for 3rd degree burns on my back and arm.
Chicken Manure – Bromley Egg Farm. Greg worked there for a while and it is the worst smell imaginable. I would make him take his clothes off before he came in the house.
Chlorine – Swimming lessons in Aurora Colorado at some woman’s indoor pool. She had a poodle with pink nails and bows in its fur.
Lilacs – Making dinner for my mom and dad for Mothers Day and Fathers Day when I was 16. I made this big elaborate meal with 5 courses, a handmade menu, nice china and I used Lilacs for a center piece.
Dermoplast and Tucks - Hospital after having a baby
Popcorn – Matthew – we love going to the movies
Rotten Eggs – Smells like a chemical you use in the dark room to turn your photos into a sepia tone
Hawaiian Tropic - Jackson Hole when I was 14 and lived with my Aunt and Uncle. My Cousin Brandi would tan almost every day. She would slather Hawaiian Tropic all over and go out on the back deck and crank up Fleetwood Mac.
Sugar and Grease - The Bakery I worked at as a teenager and young adult. There were a lot of memories about the bakery, mainly that I learned the great skill of cake decorating. I must say that I became very good at it.

These are just a few of the many smells that make my past come to life.