The Original "Smell Moment" entry

I realize now that the original "Smell Moment" entry hadn't been moved to this blog, so...>

October 3rd, 2006

This morning, in the kitchen, as I poured my first cup of coffee, I noticed the nice smell of bananas. We went by Tigermart Farms last evening to buy a few organically grown fruits and some buffalo meat. We gave up on “store bought” bananas, they are always so hard and there’s not much taste. But these are Good.

As I stood at the counter this morning, the banana smell took me back to a distance memory. That smell always does. It takes me back to…kindergarten! I went to a private kindergarten cause in the late 50’s in AZ there were no public school K grades. My Mom always packed my lunch as she couldn’t pick me up till the middle of the afternoon. And it seems now that my lunch box always had in it:

A small thermos of milk
Some sort of sandwich
A banana

I never ever smell bananas I don’t remember those rooms and my teacher, who’s name was Teddy Bear (really the owners name was Bear and Teddy was their daughter, my Mom reminded me of that when I was older). We called her Miss Bear.

Which leads to two more kindergarten memories:

Graduation! We actually had a graduation ceremony. And we girls were taught how to cancan so on graduation night danced, sang “Buffalo Girls Won’t You Come Out Tonight” and I was the lead singer, probably cause I was the Loudest. I was always the Loudest. My Mom and sister and I always sang while riding in the car so maybe I was the only one who could really carry a tune? Naw, I was the Loudest.

And second, I hated being in school. I wanted to be outside. I carried this little problem with me through 12 years of public school and on to college.

Haiku Written By Cats

Our vet, and client, in Houston sent me these :0)

Haiku Written by Cats

The food in my bowl is old,
and more to the point
contains no tuna.

There's no dignity
in being sick - which is why
I don't tell you where.

Tiny can, dumped in
a plastic bowl.
Presentation: one star;
Service: none.

Am I in your way?
You seem to have it backwards:
This pillow is taken.

Your mouth is moving;
up and down, emitting noise.
I've lost interest.

My brain: walnut-sized.
Yours: largest among primates.
Yet, who leaves for work?

Cats can't steal the breath
of children. But if my tail's
pulled again, I'm going to learn how.

I don't mind being
teased, any more than you mind
a skin graft or two.

So you call this thing
your "cat carrier." I call
these my "blades of death."

Toy mice, dancing yarn,
meowing sounds. I'm convinced:
You're an idiot.

I had another "Smell" moment this morning...

One of my first blog entries was about the smell of bananas, and how I will forever associate it with kindergarden. This morning I had another "way back" memory. My husband was lighting a block of pinion pine incense which I had gotten years ago in Gallop, NM. I love the smell, and as I don't know when I'll ever get another bag of them, I've been loath to burn them all up.

But life goes on and so it's time to use them and I do love the smell. He lit one this morning and within a couple of minutes the kitchen and living room had that incredible smell of a mountain morning in Arizona where I grew up - I could hear Mom making breakfast: bacon and bacon gravey, biscuits, scrambled eggs, coffee. I could hear Daddy talking about the horses. There was wind in the pines outside the open windows. And the faint smell of pinion pine from the fireplace from the evening past. It was the best of memories, and one I hold dear.