The Smells of My Childhood

I was blog hopping today, and I came across a post by Alissa on Have Stroller, Will Travel about the smells of her childhood. I thought it seemed like something fun to share, as it made me think back to my childhood and the smells that I associate with it.

After reading, feel free to leave a comment about your favorite childhood smells, or link to your blog post about it.

Summer Rain

As kids, my sisters and I used to spend a great deal of time with our closest cousins, who were rowdy boys. On summer nights, after a good rain, we'd go out and hunt nightcrawlers to use as bait in my grandpa's pond. Ever since, I have associated the smell of nighttime summer rain with my childhood---and with worms.

Garden Hose Water

The other day, I smelled hose water for the first time this year on a 60+ degree day (oh, and then it snowed two days later). I looked it up, because I was curious as to what causes it, and to my surprise, I found that it's from chemicals, like plasticizers, leaching out of your hose. I had no idea. I used to drink that stuff, and I turned out just peachy. Either way, it still doesn't change the fact that I loooooove the smell of water straight from the garden hose.

Fresh Cut Grass

I remember waking up in the summer to the sound of lawn mowers and the smell of freshly cut grass. Every time I smell a freshly mowed lawn, I reminisce about the days of my childhood--sitting on the porch swing, waving to the neighbors as they walked by, knowing everyone's name. My, how times have changed.

Pine-Sol

My mom swore by this stuff. She tells a story about a time that my uncle walked into the house around Christmas and said, "It smells like someone sh*t a Christmas tree." Ah, Pine-Sol. If I smelled it, I knew that my mom had just finished cleaning and it was time to go outside and play, so as not to mess up her house.

Eucalyptus



My parents had this eucalyptus plant on top of our entertainment center in the living room. I don't remember when they got it, but I remember walking past the entertainment center one day and saying, "What's that smell?" From that point on, I would always stop and smell it before I left the house. To this day, the smell is very relaxing to me.

Motor Oil

This one may seem weird to some, but my dad has worked as an auto-mechanic since he was a teenager. I remember him coming home in the evenings before his shower, with a distinctive "sweet" smell that I now know as motor oil. I still love this smell. It brings me comfort and security, just like my daddy always does.

So, what are some of the smells from your childhood? Feel free to share them in the comments, or link to your blog post about it.