Category: senses

Posted in Life, senses

Can you smell that smell

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by ali esfandiari on Unsplash

With about 15 minutes to go in our walk this morning, the big dog and I caught a powerful whiff of cannabis wafting into the street. Yes, at 7:00 am.

I know what you’re wondering. I’ve never partaken, but I did go to college, and became very familiar with the smell of weed. I remember the first time the residence advisor met with us in the common are of the dorm. He basically told us that no one would say anything as long as you kept it in your room with the door closed. That was in 1975, when there were few rules and plenty of beer available at the fraternities. (Yes, I had a few.)

Anyway, I never thought of smoking as a first thing in the morning activity. But every morning I pass certain houses whose residents are having a cigarette, a cigar, or a morning hit. It’s like their cup of coffee or energy drink, I suppose. I know tobacco is addictive, cannabis not so much. Caffeine is. I guess it’s what you’re used to.

Now what I really like to catch a whiff of is a brisket that’s been in the smoker all night. That’s a Saturday or Sunday morning treat. Along with someone cooking bacon in an outdoor kitchen. I slow down in front of those homes, enjoying that moment as I contemplate getting a smoker.

Posted in senses

Do you smell that?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Nick de Partee on Unsplash

“It always smells in here.”

I chuckled at my wife’s comment as I opened the door for her. I knew she was right. Goodwill stores are filled with row after row of clothing donated from innumerable closets. You can find new items with price tags still on them. You’ll also discover pieces with stains that were never washed out.

We weren’t there in search of clothing. We hoped to find a few vintage plates, cups, and saucers to use as photo props. But we had to walk past aromatic racks of shirts and pants to get to that part of the store.

Later, I thought about other places that always smell. That’s not always a bad thing, is it?

  • Like a bakery, for instance. It’s hard not to like the smell of freshly baked bread and cookies.
  • What about a shop that sells leather goods? A store filled with belts, jackets, wallets, and vests has a distinctive and inviting smell.
  • A coffee shop smells wonderful. Noisy grinders and hissing espresso machines fill the air with the aroma of roasted beans from all over the world.
  • The smell of barbecue hits me before I walk in the front door of a place with an active pit. You can smell the smoked meat from inside the car as you drive by.
  • What about cedar? They aren’t common, but it always smells so good when I walk into a cedar closet.

Other great aromas include the ocean, pine trees, freshly cut grass, and a brand new car. It’s amazing how much smell is a part of the places we go and the things we experience.

Posted in senses

The wind chimes

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Helen Potter on Unsplash

The wind chimes that hang by our front door are not fancy. Plain metal tubes, all different lengths, hang in a circle. They are silent until a breeze from the northeast moves the striker, filling the air with calm and soothing sounds.

And yet, a breeze from the northeast precedes a storm where we live. Notes from the wind chimes wrap a weather warning in relaxing song.

Some say the sound of carefully crafted wind chimes releases stress and improves sleep. Others say it is nothing more than unwanted, irritating noise pollution. For some they generate a feeling of peace. Others can’t stand them.

When I listen to wind chimes, I hear familiar melodies within the random sounds. We used to ask Siri to play them for us at night. After a while, she wised up and wanted to charge us for the privilege.

Posted in senses

Ah, the amazing smell of cedar

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I smelled it before I saw it. It was woody and a little like a newly sharpened pencil. It was woodsy, like a damp day on a hiking trail. It was the distinct smell of cedar.

Since it was yard waste pickup day in our neighborhood, I didn’t pay much attention to the sliced up tree along a driveway. Streets are cluttered with trash cans, plastic bags, and cardboard boxes full of palm fronds, sticks, pine needles, and leaves. Most of the logs are from palm trees or pine trees, cut into liftable lengths. Every week, the waste collection people gather up the piles left by the side of the road.

But as soon as I smelled and saw the sliced up logs, I knew it was cedar. The dogs and I paused our walk to enjoy the wonderful fragrance.

A few years ago, we had a cedar on the adjoining lot leaning towards our house. I decided to bring it down before a storm blew it onto the roof. With the help of a few neighbors, it was easy to bring it down safely. As I cut it into pieces that I could drag to the curb, I felt like I was in a cedar closet. The fragrance filled the yard for a couple of days. One of my neighbors took some of the trunk to cut into boards. He brought me a few slices that I could put in my dresser drawers. For a few weeks, everything I pulled out of the drawer smelled amazing.

What is it that makes cedar smell so good? According to an article I found on FootFitter,c contains the compound thujaplicin (nope, can’t pronounce it), which has antioxidant, antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties. Cedar also absorbs moisture, and is used to make shoe trees and boot shapers to extend the life of quality footwear.

My parents had a cedar chest. I think everyone of their generation had one. All I know is that they stored a bunch of old stuff in it. And it weighed a ton when we were moving it out of my dad’s house.

The Amish still make cedar chests in the United States. They aren’t as expensive as I thought, and I’ll be they last for generations. And, of course, they smell great!

Posted in senses, Stories

Silence was here.

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash

For a brief moment this morning, I felt her presence. Silence was in the room.

The sky just beginning to lighten. The air conditioner is off. No one else is awake yet. No ice is falling in the freezer. The birds have not yet begun their song. The air is still. No cars pass by.

She rarely stops by. She never stays long.

Caffeine rings in my ear. My neck crunches when I move my head. My stomach rumbles. Is it time for breakfast? My pen scratches the paper. I reach for my coffee mug; my shoulder pops.

The dog breathes. A bird sings. A car drives by. The thermostat clicks. The air conditioner blows.

Silence was here. Now she’s gone.

Posted in senses

What did you see, hear or smell?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Edi Libedinsky on Unsplash

On the heels of my last post, I’ve been musing about the parts of the body listed in 1 Corinthians 12. I like the way Paul asks, “If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell” (v17). Of course everyone isn’t an eye, or an ear, or a nose. But some people are, and I think that’s fascinating.

Some people are “eyes” and see things I might miss. They see the things God is doing. Or they see the needs people have. They see miracles happen all the time.

Some people are “ears,” and hear things I might miss. They hear nuances in people’s voices, hearing more than just the words spoken. They hear what someone is really trying to say.

I guess that means some people are noses, too. They know when the coffee is brewing, the wine is uncorked and the flowers have arrived. They can tell when something (or someone) is a little too ripe. They know it’s time to open the windows and air the place out.

Others are hands. They know the power of touch. Some are feet. They are quick to arrive somewhere.

All I want to know is, “What do you see? What do you hear? Or smell? How does it feel? Where did you go?” I might miss the things you think are obvious. Make sure you share them with me!