I love the smell of dirt .....

I have been watching with interest the construction taking place on Hwy. 369.  It appears that the 50+ subdivision is expanding to include land across the highway.  Oddly, I find the whole building process fascinating.  At present, they are only clearing the land and prepping for the various lots that people will be able to choose from.  Every day going to and from work I take a glance to see what  progress is being made.

Now, I must tell you, I am a senses girl.  I have always been very aware of smells and sounds in and around me.  A lot of them remind of things from my childhood.  One such example happened yesterday when riding with my husband toward our home.  First off, it was sprinkling rain, which made the world smell like hot, wet asphalt.  Again, oddly, I like the smell!  Then when we drove by the construction site, my senses were assaulted with all sorts of interesting smells -- the sour smell of pine trees that had been chopped up, the moist wet smell of overturned dirt and the fresh sweet smell of disturbed vegetation. 

All of these smells reminded me of when I was younger and I would go to my cousin's house.  They lived off in the country and owned horses, goats, pigs, etc.  Not a real farm, but one that served their basic needs.   There always various smells (some not so good) and sounds.  One of the things my cousin's like to do was play in this big gulley in their backyard.  It really wasn't all that safe because there all sorts of broken bottles and trash which got swept into it when there was a strong rain storm.  I remember many times playing with them in this gulley riding our bikes and having these same smells assault the senses.  We disturbed the ground with our bikes which caused the dirt smell and then the vegetation smell and the smell of the hay field next to the gulley. I was able to share with my husband some of the things we did as a children in that gulley and at my cousin's house. It was nice remembering. 

I realized in that instance that my life had slowed down for just that one moment of remembrance.  We all go about our day in such a rush that we never slow down to take in the smells and sounds around us.  Will I remember the sights, sounds and smells of my life right now, ten years from now?  I will now, because I intend to start paying attention to it.  Yeah, that ringing phone in the office is annoying, but if you listen beyond it you can hear people talking and the hum of the various machines and air conditioning.  These are your memories for the future.  Granted, they are not momentous memories, but they make up who you are and become a part of your life and make you remember that one moment when you were not running the race, but were paying attention to your life at that moment -- living in the moment. 

So, be still, take in your surroundings and open up yourself to the sights, sounds and smells around you!

Google Books & Magazines

Did you know that you can look at old versions of books and magazines through Google?  I have had a great time today go through Life Magazine's first issue from November 1936.  It is truly amazing how the world has changed.  I would suggest you check this nice little extra from Google out.

Life Magazine November 1936