THE FOUR SEASON'S SMELL
Spring is
upon us. Winter is putting up a battle,
but spring is in the air. I can feel it.
It may still be 32 degrees, but 32
degrees in March or April just feels much warmer than 32 degrees in January. I can smell it. Spring has a smell. All the seasons smell.
Spring
smells new, fresh, like a new car or like clothes fresh out of the dryer. The flowers, the trees and the grass all emit their spring
odor. Spring smells like linseed oil on
leather, it smells like baseball. Spring
smells like open windows and fresh air.
Summer
smells before it is officially upon us.
The world starts to smell slow.
Slow has a smell. Slow smells like bacon or barbque chicken. Summer smells slow. The wind smells slow in summer. Summer is for resting up for what is to come.
I know when
fall is near. I don’t need a calendar, I
can smell it. Fall smells like
football. Yes, football is a smell. It smells like change, it smells like dying…no,
not dying…hibernation. Fall smells like
old air, mulching grass, browning leaves and fermenting fruit. Fall smells like pie.
Winter
creeps up on us like no other season. There
is fall and suddenly the air is crisp and clean…not fresh like spring, but
clean, almost antiseptically clean.
Winter cleanses all the smells of the other seasons. Winter is a necessary time to rid the world
of all the excesses of the other three seasons.
Winter cleanses and prepares us for spring.
Open a
window. Breathe deeply. Can you smell it? It may still be cold, but there is no chill.
It smells of
spring.
Shoot, I knew I was missing something. Seriously, I lost most of my sense of smell to a virus thirty some years ago. Though I still try to smell the roses....
ReplyDeleteMy husband keeps the windows open even when the temps are in the single digits.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, March has a different 32 degree feel than January.Still waiting for the rest of the Spring Time feel though.
Point well taken Steve, however I still think that Spring smells good.
ReplyDeleteI checked out your blog, and I think I will pass on following...I'm not really into the book of life and the lake of fire sort of stuff but thank you.
Spring and Fall are my two favorite seasons. I agree that each has a smell. Although I associate fall with apple pie smell. I don't know why I just always have. As for your comment on my blog.... You are right. I got myself a winner. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever focused on the smell of the seasons. As a painter I've concentrated on how these seasons look. Thanks for making me think about them in a different way.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your assessment. The seasons do have their own smells and you've captured that very nicely in this post.
ReplyDeleteLove your response to the preacher, You were very kind. I would have hit the delete button.
Have a fabulous day. :)
i really like this a lot. :)
ReplyDelete(i'd have totally deleted that, too.)
I agree, especially with things slowing down in the summer. To me fall smells good, as in "the worst is over". But I can see how to most of you in snowier climes that is how spring must smell. Interesting post Cranky. ;)
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right about those smells! Thank you for reminding me. Even in England, where the temperature changes are much less dramatic there is still that fragrance of change... This post is very poetic!
ReplyDeleteOur spring is still frozen, but I am looking forward to smelling it soon. :-)
ReplyDeletePearl
Wonderful to consider. For me, it's lilacs in spring, campfires (and beer... and root beer floats) in summer, pumpkin EVERYthing in fall and, well, hmmm... peppermint in winter, I suppose. Or cookies. Yeah, Christmas cookies in winter.
ReplyDeleteHoly comment!
ReplyDeleteAmen, Joe.
ReplyDeleteOy. I'm probably next.
That was actually beautiful--you surprised me, Joe!!
ReplyDeleteJust as you have a glimpse of spring, we have a glimpse of Autumn. Starting to get a little chilly at nights here now. Actually has a lousy summer with loads and loads of rain.
ReplyDeleteEven in sunny southern California where there are not the drastic change of seasons -- it smells like spring!
ReplyDeleteI can't smell nothin'.
ReplyDeleteThe pollen from the oak tree has got my smeller all plugged ...not to mention the rain that fell this morning makes it literally impossible to see through the windshield of the car until after I wash it.
Spring ...bah!
Well ...that was brilliant.
DeleteI forgot to log out of that account.
So, open the window on the west and let some of that spring drift to Ohio.
ReplyDeleteask me again in a couple weeks, ain't here just yet ..... imagine as we might.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, the four seasons have their own distinct smells. Here in Florida, it's like this:
ReplyDelete1. Almost summer - the scent of cooled air
2. Summer - the scent of cooled air
3. Still summer - the scent of cooled air
4. Christmas - the scent of a tree in the living room
Thanks for visiting my blog (A Bench with a View) and your comment. I can tell you that the corgi will be featured in D and K for the A/Z challenge in case you don't want to follow all the rest of the pictures :)
ReplyDeleteI like how you wrote about the smells of the season. I can tell the seasons changing with the way the air feels, warmer for spring, a touch of cool in the autumn days, etc. Good that spring is heading your way though since so many parts of the country have had a tough long winter!
betty
This guy drives me crazy; he goes on to a lot of blogs and writes similar things with an invitation to follow his blog. I actually emailed him and told him I had no intention of following his blog ever and to stop commenting on my blog (which he had commented on multiple times for me to follow his blog). I hate anyone who tries to promote blog readership or members like this, I rather develop a relationship by actually reading what someone writes rather than leave a comment like this.
ReplyDeletebetty
I love this. It makes me smell.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite: "(Spring) . . . smells like baseball." YES!
ReplyDeleteI remember the smell of blossoms in spring, watermelon and ice cream in summer, leaves burning in the autumn and wet mittens drying on the radiator in winter. It's still rainy season here; it's autumn, but no leaves will fall or at least not all at once. Love this post, Joe.
ReplyDeleteYeah, where I live in South Carolina the air has that early spring feel despite the cool temperatures. The only thing preventing that from being a perfect time of the year is the pollen.
ReplyDeleteDown here in Aus, the smell is of Autumn. The air is slightly crisper first thing in the morning, the breezes cooler all day, yet the sun still shines warmly and skies are blue. Mostly.
ReplyDeleteGot to admit the crisp, clean smell of Winter is my favorite seasonal smell.
ReplyDeleteI'm with fishducky... you've shown another side of yourself in this post.
ReplyDeleteAfter this winter, we should all be crying tears of joy at the mere site of a flower beginning to grow and the smell wafting through our noses.
Here's to Spring!