A Keen Sniffer

I am fascinated by the way things smell. I think it is amazing how certain scents can send a wave of memories of experiences or people rushing through my head. Specific scents represent parts of my life, and when I smell them I can instantly go back to that time. It reminds me of that scene with Hayley Mills in The Parent Trap. She climbs onto her grandfather's lap and inhales deeply against his chest. She loves that he smells like peppermint and tobacco.

Speaking of grandparents, my father's parents died when I was very young. They were both gone by the time I was 9 years old. Much of what I remember of them is from pictures, but there is one scent that takes me back to their little kitchen in Anderson, Indiana. It's the smell of Ginger Ale. To most people this is not a distinct scent, but to me the combination of it along with the taste evokes my youngest childhood memories. I never buy it, but I ALWAYS order it on airplanes. It makes me feel as though Grandma and Grandpa are on flights with me as my dearest travel companions.

I don't remember my Nanny having a specific perfume. However, the woman reapplied her lipstick obsessively. She had a signature color, Clinique's Cerise. She whipped out that familiar silver tube and it had a waxy smell. She also applied it in such a way that instead of having a slant to it, the top was concave in shape. I don't even think Clinique makes that shade anymore, but I still have one tube left that was hers. I don't even roll it up, since I'm afraid it will be too dry and break off. I just take the top off and inhale.

When I was shipped off to Gnaw Bone Summer Camp as a 9 year old, my mother bought me Finesse shampoo for my shower bucket. Our cabins had a single light bulb and no A/C. Our shower was a 3 sided stone wall enclosed outdoor shower, with about 4 shower heads. We showered in a group with our swimsuits on. I used Finesse shampoo for the 3 consecutive years that I attended Gnaw Bone for 2 weeks at a time. The smell of the shampoo instantly has me singing my favorite campfire songs, and

craving Reece's Cups, which were my campfire snack of choice. Actually, I am always craving those, no Finesse needed.

For the greater part of my childhood, my Dad wore Calvin Klein's Obsession. The smell of this makes me think of him with his very large 80s glasses, coaching my basketball teams at the YMCA.

There was a store in our local mall called Meis, Limited. It was a smaller version of our locally owned department store, Meis. I remember the dressing room doors were a burgundy color, and they sold mostly Ralph Lauren attire. This place was my mother's favorite spot to shop, when she did, which was rare. They had bottles of this on the counter by the register.

By high school, I was ready for my own fragrance. Prescriptives Calyx was just the ticket. I remember buying my first bottle with Court when were were at the College Mall in Bloomington. Our local mall didn't have a Prescriptives makeup counter. This scent makes me think of getting ready each morning for school, pulling on my dad's giant flannel shirts and my heavy ass Doc Marten boots. When I smell it, I laugh and hear the song, "Smells like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. It was great being a teenager in the 90s.

White Musk by The Body Shop was worn by one of the other school's teachers on my group trip to Europe in 1996. Senora McGuire took a group of her Spanish students to England, Spain and France that summer, and mom and dad sent me on an adventure of a lifetime. We traveled with another group of high school students from North Carolina, and this perfume is so distinctive that I had to find out what it was when I smelled it on their teacher. I asked her while we were watching a Flamenco dancer performance. Again, I have never worn this, but sometimes pop into The Body Shop for a quick whiff of that great trip.

Now in college I got hooked on Baby Doll by Yves Saint Laurent. I wore this during my Delta Gamma days, and I got so many compliments wearing this. My sorority sisters loved it, and I do remember sharing many squirts. Fraternity parties, senior dinners, and field experiences to local elementary schools are my memories with this one.

Era. A simple one. Delta Gamma basement laundry room at 105 North Jordan Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana. I still use this. This detergent has the most wonderful, freshest scent. Why not think of 3 of the happiest years of my life every day?

Gucci Envy, also known as liquid courage, without making me an alcoholic. I wore this every day for my first year of teaching in Durham, North Carolina. The year that almost killed me, when kids called me names and I taught 23 of the most ill behaved first graders in the history of the world. This scent does not actually evoke good memories, but more like memories of survival. As I spritzed it on each morning, my hands would be shaking with fear. I made it though, and have had 9 years of teaching bliss after that one that almost made me quit the profession forever.

Lastly, my latest fragrance. Trinity bought me this for Christmas last year. It makes me think of him. I wore it on my wedding day. I was wearing it when we got engaged. Happy, happy, happy.