It's July and while the living is hot, humid and easy, many of us in the South shift into what I call "thermos" mode. We do everything in our power to insulate ourselves from the heat until the temperature drops in the fall and we can safely open our windows again to more temperate breezes.
While I hail the invention of air conditioning as one of the main reasons our part of the country is now tolerable to live and work in year round, it also has disconnected many of us from using our sense of smell to get the feel of the of the world around us. I will admit that I don't open the windows of my house during sultry days just to get a whiff of what may be blooming in the yard....the cool air is just too precious. However, what I will do is drive with my truck windows down. You would be surprised the sense memories that come flooding back when you pass through an area where distinct summer smells reside. If you need proof, just look at dogs that folks are giving a ride to. They stick their noses out of the window for a reason...they know how to appreciate a good summer smell. To encourage you to get out of "Thermos" mode and experience the outdoors more in this hot weather, here are my personal top 10 smells of a Southern Summer:
10- Coconut Oil based Suntan lotions. Nothing jolts you back to hanging out at the pool or beach more than the smell of coconut oil. I know you aren't supposed to use suntan oil anymore, but a woman can dab on this scent and make all the men around her feel 16 years old again....scratch that...that's probably not such a good idea after all.
9- Chlorine. I am not a fan of this smell normally but nothing says summer like blurred vision and stinging eyes from staying in the pool too long.
8- River Mud. A bit of stagnant water smell with the scent of earthy muck baked in. Makes you remember fishing from the bank for catfish or getting ready to put the tube in to float the river.
7- Nettles or what I call the smell of Green. Getting down in the shaded woods where there isn't any breeze stirring to cut the humidity, the thick green smell of the nettles means summer is at its deepest and most humid.
6- Just cut cantaloupe. It just smells cool, pungent and right. The stronger the better. There is a reason they are called muskmelons.
5- The air just as a storm rolls in and just afterwards, when the rain stops. If you pay attention to the weather, you will know what I mean.
4- Charcoal. No propane grill can match it. Something about having to light it, then waiting for it to be ready to cook. Smelling that smoke with just enough time for a cocktail or two before putting food on is the original slow food movement.
3- Old Bay Seasoning. Blue crabs or shrimp steaming....there is no mistaking it.
2- A leather baseball glove. Especially one that is at least 20 years old and has been oiled. The smell reminds you that there are worse things you can do than playing catch in the front yard in the evening as the twilight creeps in.
1-Honeysuckle. Some consider it a burdensome plant but when my time comes, bury me with honeysuckle vining around my headstone so I can be near that sweet scent always. Sometimes it pays to play it safe, so give me honeysuckle so if the Lord isn't ready for me at least where I lay it will smell like heaven.
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