SoCS: The Good, the Bad, and the Old House Smells

May 18, 2024 by JoAnna 22 Comments

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “What’s that smell?” Write the first thing that comes to mind. Enjoy!

Some smells are unmistakable, like the smell of poop which dogs are so interested in, or the smell of honeysuckle which I love. I hate the smell of sauerkraut but love the smell of horses. I also hate the smell of walking into Best Buy, which reminds me of plastic, but I’m not sure, maybe it’s some chemical thing that happens when a lot of computers and other high-tech devices get together in one place. It makes me feel sick.

I’d much rather smell honeysuckle, pine trees, and horses. I don’t mind the smell of dogs, but wet dog smell isn’t that appealing. The smell of my husband’s skin is still appealing to me since it was imprinted on my 16-year-old brain. That’s a good sign if you like how a person smells naturally. Dogs are way better at smelling things than humans. Marley will sniff a particular patch of grass or a fire hydrant like he’s reading the news.

Our old house, built in the 1940s, has a smell. I don’t notice it unless I’ve been gone for a couple of days, then I get used to it. My local realtor friend with a good nose said it’s not water damage, it just smells a little musty like old houses do. My house has always had this smell, even when I bought it in the late 1980s, and even after I took up all the carpet and we had major renovations. Maybe something got into the wood which covers most of the floors.

Our “new” house has a smell, too. (It was built in 1989 and also has wood floors.) It just smell a little musty, but I’m sure that will change once we get the dog and the cat in there and open some windows. Thank goodness for essential oils. Frankincense is one of my favorites. It invigorates me and reminds me of when I used oil paints a very long time ago, or something I’ve smelled in an artist studio. Lavender is relaxing of course. Oregano oil is very strong. One drop in soup goes a long way.

Come to think of it, my parents’ house had a subtle smell. Grandparents’ houses often have a smell. Does everyone’s house have a smell? I imagine the older the house is, the more it has its own smell.

When I typed the word, smell, into my personal photo search, I came up with this rose from my church. Some roses don’t have much smell anymore, but this one did.

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