There are a couple smells that really throw me back, and one of those is just the general smell of fall. Whenever I come across the crisp and ripe smell of leaves I'm always taken back to the same memory.
I'm twelve years old and living in our little Pemberlita in Provo. The house was called Pemberlita due to our family's Pride and Prejudice obsession, as well as our efforts to look past the...close-knit qualities of the home. To the far right of the front yard next to the neighbor's green hedge was our beloved tree, Half n' Half. I kid you not, the tree grew deep purple leaves on one side and light green ones on the other. And I believe it was the purple side that also contained these little berries that were some sort of mix between a plum and a grape. They were pretty tasty if you caught them on their good day. Every other day they were just globs of purple mush on your shoes and pants and anywhere else you happened to fall and smash one during a game of yard-tag.
Being home schooled during this time spent in Pemberlita, the fall had a little different feel than the general back-to-school spirit. Instead of getting up and ready for school each day with a backpack and new back-to-school sale Wal-mart shoes, I woke up with my sisters, and in our pajamas we would throw change out on the side-walk in front of our house, counting how many school-kids passed by without looking to pick it up. Or after lunch we would climb Half n' Half with blankets and books and shush each other as the kids passed my underneath, rarely finding our little hide-out. I don't know if these kids just ignored our every move, or if they really were that unobservant. Huh.
Anyway, only my second semester out in the big wide world, and I've noticed a couple smells that have already bound themselves to this Cedar City memory. The lovely puff of lavender from my dryer sheets under the sink when reaching for my brush, some tropical coconut fun from my body wash, and then of course the 'ol apartment which smells of new paint, dust, and stiff bathroom cleaner. Not exactly the "welcome back" I was looking for, but at least it's stopped smelling like toilet water from our little flooding accident.
Moral of the story is, make sure you always smell good because when the observant people remember you, at least you're off to a good start!
I'm twelve years old and living in our little Pemberlita in Provo. The house was called Pemberlita due to our family's Pride and Prejudice obsession, as well as our efforts to look past the...close-knit qualities of the home. To the far right of the front yard next to the neighbor's green hedge was our beloved tree, Half n' Half. I kid you not, the tree grew deep purple leaves on one side and light green ones on the other. And I believe it was the purple side that also contained these little berries that were some sort of mix between a plum and a grape. They were pretty tasty if you caught them on their good day. Every other day they were just globs of purple mush on your shoes and pants and anywhere else you happened to fall and smash one during a game of yard-tag.
Being home schooled during this time spent in Pemberlita, the fall had a little different feel than the general back-to-school spirit. Instead of getting up and ready for school each day with a backpack and new back-to-school sale Wal-mart shoes, I woke up with my sisters, and in our pajamas we would throw change out on the side-walk in front of our house, counting how many school-kids passed by without looking to pick it up. Or after lunch we would climb Half n' Half with blankets and books and shush each other as the kids passed my underneath, rarely finding our little hide-out. I don't know if these kids just ignored our every move, or if they really were that unobservant. Huh.
Anyway, only my second semester out in the big wide world, and I've noticed a couple smells that have already bound themselves to this Cedar City memory. The lovely puff of lavender from my dryer sheets under the sink when reaching for my brush, some tropical coconut fun from my body wash, and then of course the 'ol apartment which smells of new paint, dust, and stiff bathroom cleaner. Not exactly the "welcome back" I was looking for, but at least it's stopped smelling like toilet water from our little flooding accident.
Moral of the story is, make sure you always smell good because when the observant people remember you, at least you're off to a good start!
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| Pemberley. Sigh. Gorgeous. |
I am astounded at your ability to make something good of something bad.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up! That is a skill you will use in all aspects of your life.
Also, beautiful narration.
Love you!
~Jess. :)