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smelly things

remember those scratch-and-sniff things? of course they still exist, but i haven't smelled one in a while. now all we have are those horrid cardboard car scents: those leaves of aesthetic tragedy. the one i'm thinking of has a strawberry scent. it might have been strawberry shortcake - that little red-headed girl with strawberries painted all over her ginormous hat, a hat ten times the size of her head. this reminds me of those markers you can buy that smell, too, often like berries of some sort. i can remember the blueberry ones the best.

which scents do you remember? 

when Jodi and i (and sometimes Justin, Dan, Kaia or some other participant) would take empty milk jugs and stealthily place them on Mark Vust's doorstep (our Resident Director), i would sometimes smell the rotting milk. it didn't smell good. i'll give you that. but it was certainly a powerful scent.

smelling things reminds me of how much i love life. like when i'm in a forest and the scent of fall is in the air. there is an excitement to reality that can be forgotten amongst the drab de-odourized or fake-smellified places we live in. hardly anyone bakes bread anymore. touch, sight and sound are senses I use all the time. i'm usually expecting taste when it occurs. scent, though - it's usually so unexpected. it wakes me up to the wonder of the world around me, dragging me out of introverted thoughts and thrusting my earthly body with all its perceptions into the yet-beautiful remnant of the Garden of Eden.

Comments

i LOVE this blog! and i still bake bread! :)
Anonymous said…
I and the brown house as a collective would like to take credit for providing you with the majority of those nasty milk jugs which you used to torment vust.. it was a small part we played, but, we are proud...
Holly
Anonymous said…
."For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."2 Cor. 2:15 May we be the smell of life to all we meet.
"May my prayer be set before You like incense;" Psalm 141:2
May our worship be to God a sweet smell of praise.
Darcie Dow said…
Autumn is my favourite time of year for its smell. The leaves are gorgeous (especially in the Soo) but it's the smell that tells me when the seasons are changing. Thanks for this blog, Keith. And I'll do my best to bake some bread soon. will an apple pie do for this weekend though?
meredow said…
i'll have to agree with darcie about autumn smells - especially when i'm biking home through the fallen leaves, the crisp air enveloping me, and then there comes wafting through the air from a nearby house the homey smell of clothes coming warm out of the dryer!
Anonymous said…
I miss you friend. And I miss our milk walks...hope the apple pie was yummy! You're so spoiled...
Michelle said…
To echo Holly's sentiment, I think I drank a good majority of that milk. Both in the brown house and in the duplex. :)
Anonymous said…
inspiring
magnificent
familiar and yet surprising
drastic, dramatic
fun
pleasant:
scents and brothers alike.
Anonymous said…
Keith smells
Anonymous said…
I as the Mark Vust cleaned up your mess and didn't kill anyone...

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