The Smells of Spring

[spatch]

One of the nicest things about Spring is the pleasant coincidence that one's sense of smell becomes more acute at the same time the earth wakes up from winter hibernation. I always know spring has arrived when I walk outside and get hit by WALL OF SMELL. Sometimes it's even good smells.

Walking home last night from Davis was the first time this year I noticed the scents. The T station was downwind from Redbones, and I admit that barbecue smell is damn appealing. Walking up College, Redbones was replaced by Golden Light's takeout food smell. I rounded the corner to Hall Ave and got a snootful of fresh earth. Well, the smell of fresh earth, at least. I would have not been as happy the other way.

Everybody on Hall was having dinner at the same time, it seemed, and everybody had their windows open or were outside cooking, because the entire neighborhood smelled great. Curry smells gave way to grilled onions and peppers, which then gave way to some kind of taco seasoning. Finally, I was treated to the yearly Obscene-Smelling Tree smells as I walked up the house steps, and you know, once or twice a year, it ain't all that bad.

And when I got upstairs to my room, there was a stinky cat box to clean! Hooray for acute senses of smell!

Comments

[jodied.livejournal.com]

It's awfully nice of Mr. Abbie to alert you of the need to clean his litter box by way of smell. Just think of the other ways he could do so!

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, the obscene smelling trees. It's that time of year. :-)

[spatch]

Soon all will be covered in that thin chartreuse sheen of TreeSpoo(TM).

[ron_newman]

what and where are 'the obscene smelling trees' ?

[alphacygni]

Are those the same white-flowering trees as the ones near the Kendall T, that smell like aged, dirty sneakers?

[spatch]

Yep. I had thought they were dogwood, but learned last year they're Some Other Kind Of White Flowering Stinky Tree.

[ron_newman]

are they the same type of tree that siderea is describing here ?

[asd109.livejournal.com]

They were mowing the lawn in the park near my building this morning and it smelled so good.

[spatch]

I haven't smelled freshly cut grass yet, but I so hope to real soon!

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

Mmm, freshly cut grass.

[redtheblue.livejournal.com]

Having both pets and a mutantly acute sense of smell is a curse. It's like being haunted by the spirits of a hundred poos.

[spatch]

Well, the weather warmed up enough to really bring out the scent. It got bad enough that pheromone shut the cat in the room and closed the door while I was at work. Can't say as I blame her.

[olethrosdc.livejournal.com]

I so thought that you were going to be talking about smells like 'flowers, trees, wet grass, cow droppings..' - why would takeout food smell more strongly in spring? (clogged nose in winter?)

[spatch]

The city wakes up, too, in the spring, and while Redbones does its barbecue all year round and you can smell it outside the place, you only notice it throughout the rest of the neighborhood when the weather gets warmer.

[heliopsis.livejournal.com]

Sigh.

I have had sinus infections on and off since Thanksgiving, and I have mostly lost my sense of smell. Consequently, carrots and apples are indistinguishable, and chocolate has no flavor at all. It's just awful. I would be delighted to smell a flower.

Oh, and the worst part is, anything high in fat smells like blue cheese. I like blue cheese, but chocolate pudding should not smell like blue cheese.

I had begun to get some wafts of smell back, but now allergies have kicked in and I'm back to practically nothing.

hooray, indeed, for your acute sense of smell. Enjoy it for me, will you?