tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post5759955424498270208..comments2024-03-28T21:32:06.704-04:00Comments on I Think; Therefore, I Yam: Do You Smell What I Smell?Susan Flett Swiderskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-57897368974212635802011-08-02T09:32:37.480-04:002011-08-02T09:32:37.480-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Cookieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935678963792829584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-56706223052233425152011-07-29T07:30:22.647-04:002011-07-29T07:30:22.647-04:00Hi, Ron. One measly quarter used to buy us kids an...Hi, Ron. One measly quarter used to buy us kids an afternoon's respite from the heat, and our parents, a respite from us. Especially when the theater showed a double feature!Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-88531890919127666612011-07-28T16:59:07.526-04:002011-07-28T16:59:07.526-04:00Smells are memory joggers for sure.
The smell of ...Smells are memory joggers for sure.<br /><br />The smell of popcorn reminds me of going to the movies when I was a kid. Back in the old days (the 1950s) it cost 15 cents to get in and 10 cents for a box of popcorn. licorice was 2 pcs. for a penny. Those were the good old days :-)<br /><br />Thanks for the smell memory :-)<br /><br />~RonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-89173176939277859832011-07-28T14:37:50.094-04:002011-07-28T14:37:50.094-04:00Hi, Carrie. Glad you liked it. Yeah, the smells of...Hi, Carrie. Glad you liked it. Yeah, the smells of autumn are wonderful ... like chrysanthemums and burning leaves. Take care.Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-69152092979725643782011-07-28T09:51:52.675-04:002011-07-28T09:51:52.675-04:00Hi, Al. I'll vote for "you're just ti...Hi, Al. I'll vote for "you're just tired." And just because I consider it wise for writers to take advantage of the manipulative powers of smells, I don't think it's UN-wise if a writer doesn't use them. Kinda like screwdrivers. If I need one, but none is handy, I'll grab a butter knife. (drives my husband nuts!) And if a straight-edged screwdriver is closer, I'll use it on a phillips-head screw rather than fetch the proper screwdriver. But even without the "better" tools, I still manage to get the job done. I consider the incorporation of the senses into our writing as just another tool.Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-87011751015609705652011-07-28T09:49:51.010-04:002011-07-28T09:49:51.010-04:00What a great post, Susan. Austan's mention of ...What a great post, Susan. Austan's mention of radiators heating up in fall... as a teen, yes... only now in Ontario it's a furnace. It's very comforting. I love the smell of Plasticine and brand new note-books (for school). And that crisp autumn air that sets in. I think I love Autumn. ;)I love petrol as the gas station. Not sure why. I could bottle that. Fascinating, the neuro-psychology behind that.CarrieBoohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05760105674950918729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-23517915658995556932011-07-28T05:30:43.577-04:002011-07-28T05:30:43.577-04:00Hmmm maybe I'm not a wise writer. I can't ...Hmmm maybe I'm not a wise writer. I can't for the life of me remember using smell in my stories. Either that or I'm just tired.Alhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15625543235578144620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-16134141850186950242011-07-27T17:11:46.985-04:002011-07-27T17:11:46.985-04:00Hi, Dianne. By George, I think you're onto som...Hi, Dianne. By George, I think you're onto something there. Makes sense, anyway. I think it also has something to do with the proximity of the olfactory nerves to the part of our brains where the memories are stored. (Seems to me I read something about that in a neuro-psychology book.)Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-84706514141004161142011-07-27T16:55:36.258-04:002011-07-27T16:55:36.258-04:00Great post! I too often forget to include the smel...Great post! I too often forget to include the smells. I wonder why our brains are wired to associate smell so closely to memory? There must be a survival reason in there somewhere. Is it that early man was more likely to remember the smell of a plant that made him upchuck more than what it looked like? Hmmm.Dianne K. Salernihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16459839567235304842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-27704091630253562172011-07-27T16:53:43.996-04:002011-07-27T16:53:43.996-04:00Hi, Connie. Cool. Nobody told me that, but it soun...Hi, Connie. Cool. Nobody told me that, but it sounds like I must be on the right track. Thanks.Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-11349716985552733572011-07-27T15:46:16.423-04:002011-07-27T15:46:16.423-04:00One of the most helpful suggestions I was told abo...One of the most helpful suggestions I was told about editing is to look at every page and see if there was a sensory perception that could be added besides sight.Connie Kellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10774616533630985219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-43918812080450683772011-07-27T12:17:01.173-04:002011-07-27T12:17:01.173-04:00Hi, All. Thank you so much for your comments.
Ski...Hi, All. Thank you so much for your comments.<br /><br />Skippy- Glad you liked the image of the chihuahua. They really do seem to think they're fierce attack dogs, don't they? Oh, and I beg to differ, dear lady. You write ... therefore, you ARE a writer! (Not to mention an A-1 cartoonist!)<br /><br />Musical Gardener- Ah, yes, the smell of turpentine and oil paints is a great trigger. (Maybe THAT'S how my kids and grandkids will remember me!)Glad your sniffer is working now. Even bad smells are better than none at all.<br /><br />Delores- I LOVE your entrance and exit music. You really crack me up, lady.<br /><br />Linda- Yeah, I got a kick out of that kid in the gas mask, too. (P.S. I don't REALLY eat a lotta beans!)<br /><br />Starting Over- You always make such super comments. Thank you, ma'am. The song from Bridge On the River Kwai paints a perfect image. Great choice. And hey! Look at YOU! You kinda DO have a theme song if the piano player hits it as soon as you walk into the restaurant. How cool is that? Great song to be associated with, too. My daughter says my song is "It's a Wonderful World." That's kinda nice, too.<br /><br />Cro- You're right. Anosmia certainly isn't a common word. My grandfather had next to no sense of smell. He was also a poultry farmer, and I'm not sure which came first, the chickens or the inability to smell them. But he ate limburger cheese, because it was one of the few things he could taste. (Net he would've liked Marmite, too!)<br /><br />Austan- Since you mentioned the scent of the wet wool in the cloakroom, how about the smells of freshly mimeographed papers, and the old-timey paste we used to use in elementary school? The dog coming out of the marsh is a vivid one, too. Especially when there's skunk cabbage in that marsh. <br /><br />Take care, all.Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-85216601647752730502011-07-27T11:32:51.994-04:002011-07-27T11:32:51.994-04:00(Enters to opening bars of The Band's "Th...(Enters to opening bars of The Band's "The Weight") What a great vivid post! I've had slobbering dogs, musty basements and footballers' rear ends in my life. Music, too, cues memories. Sometimes picturing a place will make me remember the smell of it. Funny how we store these things and they're always there.. the wet wool of the cloakroom, the dog who's just been in the marsh, the first time the radiators heat up in the fall. It's all filed away for reference. Yes, we should use them.Austanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05568578637922817033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-55764005453911034052011-07-27T09:04:28.940-04:002011-07-27T09:04:28.940-04:00The lack of one's sense of small is called ...The lack of one's sense of small is called 'anosmia'; surprisingly few people know the word! They know blind, deaf, and dumb; but anosmic? No.<br /><br />Am I preaching? Sorry.Cro Magnonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06840670227576695352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-20478173328986428072011-07-27T08:45:42.709-04:002011-07-27T08:45:42.709-04:00I can't do without music. With that said you m...I can't do without music. With that said you may think the Sound of Music would be my life's theme song. Nope, I think it is more like Bridge on the River Kwai. I feel I have been marching off to somewhere for most of my years - have to move, have things to do.<br /><br />I would like to be identified though with Neil Young's Harvest Moon. That song sings to my heart. My son-in-law said that when he thinks of me, that song comes into his head. Also, when I go to a local restaurant, the singer/piano player will play that (or another Neil Young song) as he sees me enter. It does not have that much to do with me, but rather the tip I always leave him. Five bucks can buy you attention and it works for me.<br /><br />I have kind of lost my appetite lately, but that sense of smell is still going strong. Yes, many memories are triggered by the scents of our past.Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06032033918798053005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-63676378933943210562011-07-27T08:27:48.281-04:002011-07-27T08:27:48.281-04:00LOL! Nice parting image. ;)
I think of my dad wh...LOL! Nice parting image. ;) <br /><br />I think of my dad whenever I smell Old Spice, too. <br /><br />You're so right about not neglecting the other senses in our writing -- that's what brings it off the page.Linda G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04576828490765434497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-43082879270376927522011-07-27T07:19:48.943-04:002011-07-27T07:19:48.943-04:00Entering now (hallelujah Chorus)....I have to agre...Entering now (hallelujah Chorus)....I have to agree with you on smells...in fact just mentioning a scent causes me to experience it. If I close my eyes I can still smell Campbells book store and all the new school supplies. Leaving now (dum dum dum dummmmmm).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-57464906912865972802011-07-27T07:19:03.480-04:002011-07-27T07:19:03.480-04:00Great post.
I had a hideous sinus infection last ...Great post.<br /><br />I had a hideous sinus infection last winter, and lost my sense of smell completely for six weeks or better. Food didn't take right, and life just wasn't as good. <br /><br />It's paint for me. Mom used to store her oil paint and turpentine in a cupboard, and any oil paint smells conjure up that cupboard and of course all the memories of Mom that I associate with it. Someday I will blog about Mom painting the linoleum floors in the old farmhouse.The Musical Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18332837447346666460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-66532417852359031212011-07-27T06:40:36.000-04:002011-07-27T06:40:36.000-04:00I can still smell my grandmother's house - it ...I can still smell my grandmother's house - it is one of my favorite scents.<br /><br />Although I am not a writer, nor do I wish to be, I do find it is easier to write blog posts when I have music blaring in my headphones. It just flows for me.<br /><br />I love your description of the chihuahua - I will never hear one of them bark again without giggling at your prose. heeheeSkippyMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479661523059481730noreply@blogger.com