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Collimator

(1,961 posts)

104. Lilacs are important to me.

Tue Jun 17, 2025, 12:13 PM

Jun 17

Not my personal favorite, but my mother loved the flowers. As a little girl, I would steal blossoms from my neighbor's bush to give to her. It made her happy and that, in turn, made me feel safe and loved.

As an adult, I know that it wasn't my responsibility to make my mother happy and solve her mental health challenges, but as I kid I instinctively knew that her moods were the key to any hope of household harmony.

So, I enjoy the sweet fragrance because there are positive memories associated with it, but the feelings are complicated.

The smell of my grandmother's house did not bring complicated feelings. I was always happy there. But the scent was complex. There was fresh Italian bread and grated parmesan cheese. I'm sure that garlic and olive oil were in there somewhere.

A couple of years after her death, I opened a bag of fabric scraps she gave me. (She was always sending along fabric scraps.) The scent of her house wafted out of the bag. Our family dog--who loved Grandma-- got so excited sniffing that bag.

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debm55 electric_blue68

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The sense of smell is know for bringing back memories. My favorite smell is cinnamon, What is your favorite? [View all] debm55 Jun 16 OP

Fresh cut grass C_U_L8R Jun 16 #1

Yes, Thank you C_U_L8R. wonderful summer smell. debm55 Jun 16 #15

Cinnamon/baking smells are a biggie buzzycrumbhunger Jun 16 #2

OH, I agree. Such a unique smell. Love it, Thank you buzzycrumbhunger. debm55 Jun 16 #17

that smell that a forest has right after a nice rain. ret5hd Jun 16 #3

Thank you ret5hd. You are right it is almost unami. debm55 Jun 16 #18

Suntan lotion and chlorine for memories. PikaBlue Jun 16 #4

Yes, the sunny days of summer by the water. thank you PikaBlue. debm55 Jun 16 #19

Holiday pine tree🎄 anciano Jun 16 #5

Oh yes the smell of pine trees.Wonderful smell. Thank you very much anciano debm55 Jun 16 #21

Pumpkin pie nt evemac Jun 16 #6

YUMMY. the smell is wonderful. Thank you very much evemac. debm55 Jun 16 #22

Bread baking. pandr32 Jun 16 #7

Oh ya. Thank you very much pandr32. A wonderful smell. debm55 Jun 16 #23

Grilled saba (mackerel) Shambala Jun 16 #8

Oh Shambala. that smell sounds so wonderful Thank you for sharing debm55 Jun 16 #24

Roses FalloutShelter Jun 16 #9

What a beautiful smell and sweet memories to go with it. Thank you, FalloutShelter. debm55 Jun 16 #25

New mown hay on a summer evening. Also moniss Jun 16 #10

Wonderful , simply wonderful moniss. Thank you for sharing with us. I like the smell of hay also. debm55 Jun 16 #46

Pine Sol Raven123 Jun 16 #11

LOL malaise Jun 16 #32

thank you very Malaise for sharing with us. I think I would take the lavender over the Pine. debm55 Jun 16 #50

HAHAHAHAH. Thank you very much Raven123 for sharing with us. May her memories be a blessing to your heart. debm55 Jun 16 #49

Not me. Serious headache inducer for me nt yellowdogintexas Jun 16 #53

Coffee perking and bacon or sausage frying Dorothy V Jun 16 #12

Thank you very much Dorothy V. Those smells sound wonder, except for the coffee. Glad it brough good memories to you. debm55 Jun 17 #69

If we are talking spices, I love the smell of curry and ginger. Polly Hennessey Jun 16 #13

thank you very much Polly Hennessey for your spices and your memories. debm55 Jun 17 #72

Mown hay curing in the field. WheelWalker Jun 16 #14

Thank you very much WheelWalker. Hay has a very distinct. smell. debm55 Jun 17 #68

Mimeographed paper. Silent Type Jun 16 #16

Thank you Silent Type. I was a teacher for 42 years. I know exactly what you are talking about debm55 Jun 17 #73

Basil. Whenever I smell it I think fondly Hassler Jun 16 #20

Mrs. Meyers makes a basil dish soap! buzzycrumbhunger Jun 16 #34

Thank you very much, Hassler. May the memories of your grandmother be a blessing to you. debm55 Jun 17 #74

Vanilla. Citrus. I had a grandmother who was deaf and applegrove Jun 16 #26

Thank you very much, applegrove. For a long time I wore perfume with hints of vanilla and/or citrus. Bakery smells are debm55 Jun 17 #75

I Love The Smell of Jet Fuel In The Morning. pdxflyboy Jun 16 #27

Nope. They dumped that stuff in our local creek for years... malthaussen Jun 17 #71

I agree with you Mal. I live near a Steel Mill , who knows what I have been drinking debm55 Jun 17 #77

HAHAHHHA. Thank you pdxflyboy. debm55 Jun 17 #76

Lavender MustLoveBeagles Jun 16 #28

I love lavender too. thank you MustLoveBeagles. I tried to grow some years ago. I don't know if it was soil but it would debm55 Jun 17 #78

Fresh pine at Christmas malaise Jun 16 #29

Thank you so much, malaise. We don't do real pine trees anymore. But I buy a wreath to get the pine smell. debm55 Jun 17 #79

What a lovely idea to make a Christmas wreath! electric_blue68 Jun 17 #117

Much easier than you think malaise Jun 17 #118

Interesting! While Not pines I once got these beautiful ?2 1/2 ft reddish bark branches, and I... electric_blue68 Jun 17 #119

Sounds lovely malaise Jun 17 #121

That's a great story! Bringing creative inspiration. electric_blue68 Jun 17 #122

Copper tone sun tan lotion BOSSHOG Jun 16 #30

Thank you very much BOSSHOG. Love the smell of Coppertone. May the memories of your grandfather be a blessing to you. debm55 Jun 17 #81

Haven't smelled a thing since COVID. Climate Crusader Jun 16 #31

So sorry, Climate Crusader. debm55 Jun 17 #82

Moth balls The Blue Flower Jun 16 #33

Ha! I lived with my gramma for many years and she would MIButterfly Jun 16 #37

hahahahhahh. thank you very much, MIButterfly. Though she was different, may the memories of your grandma be a blessing debm55 Jun 17 #83

Thank you very much, The Blue Flower. debm55 Jun 17 #84

Photography dark room chemicals. multigraincracker Jun 16 #35

Thank you very much multigraincracker for sharing with us. It has a very distinct smell, somer would call it an odor. I debm55 Jun 16 #41

Didn't like them much, but I loved printing up photos in our College Photo lab! electric_blue68 Jun 17 #120

Lilacs. MIButterfly Jun 16 #36

I love the smell of lilac bushes, too. So sweet in the summer air Thank you MIbutterfly for sharing with us. You brought debm55 Jun 16 #40

Oh, how wonderful that must have been at your wedding! MIButterfly Jun 16 #44

Thant sounds wonderful. I was there on a tour. Loved it. debm55 Jun 17 #85

Lilacs are important to me. Collimator Jun 17 #104

Thank you very much, Collimator. I have been in your place too.Thank you sharing your story of the Lilacs. Mine was debm55 Jun 17 #106

As a child drmeow Jun 16 #38

Thank you so much for sharing you memories with us. I agree Middle Eastern food smells wonderful. Thank you drmeow debm55 Jun 16 #39

Chestnuts enid602 Jun 16 #42

Thank you very much enid602 debm55 Jun 16 #43

debm55.......... Upthevibe Jun 16 #45

Wow, thank you very much,Upthevibe. As a a abused child, not all of my memories were happy ones. I try to think of the debm55 Jun 16 #47

debm55........ Upthevibe Jun 18 #134

I am so sorry for you my sweet Upthevibe. May memories of your dad be a blessing to you debm55 Jun 18 #135

Dolce & Gabbana Red. Takes me back to the 90's, makes me wonder flvegan Jun 16 #48

Thank you very much flvegan. debm55 Jun 17 #86

Fajitas SARose Jun 16 #51

Thank you very much SARose for the excellent description of the Fajitas, So wonderful. I like mine with shrimp debm55 Jun 17 #102

Freshly turned dirt, sauteing onions, baking bread. LoisB Jun 16 #52

Thank you so much for sharing your favorite smells. All three are great.and unique debm55 Jun 17 #101

So, so many. 3catwoman3 Jun 16 #54

Thank you so much for sharing with us all of your favorite smells and memories. 3catwoman3. I love them debm55 Jun 17 #99

The smell of sestina Jun 17 #55

Thank you very much, sestina. for your smells and memories..May the memories of your husband and your dad, bring debm55 Jun 17 #98

Dark fired tobacco barn smoke. Weird I know but bear with me: yellowdogintexas Jun 17 #56

Thank you very much for your informative post. yellowdogintexas. The smell sounds wonderful. debm55 Jun 17 #96

Visited The Southwest, where I ate chilli from time to time. Back in NYC I bought my first bottle of chilli powder..... electric_blue68 Jun 17 #57

Thank you so much for your wonderful post, electric_blue68. what an experience with the chilli and the SW. That is so debm55 Jun 17 #94

Lily of the Valley nuxvomica Jun 17 #58

I used that as a fragance also. Loved it. We had a lilac bush too. Loved the smell. Thank you nuxvomica. debm55 Jun 17 #67

I love the smell of onions frying in butter. In the spring, fresh violets. catbyte Jun 17 #59

Thank you very much catbyte, Yes to onions frying in butter, and violets growing. I think at the time, Old Spice was debm55 Jun 17 #66

Here's my crazy list... Niagara Jun 17 #60

Thank you very much I especially like the book smell, Lilacs and coconut suncreen Thank you very much my friend. debm55 Jun 17 #61

the food smells of thanksgiving and christmas with family. AllaN01Bear Jun 17 #62

Thank you AllaN01Bear. Delightful. debm55 Jun 17 #65

tobaco and coffee shopes . i dont smoke but love to go into a tobaco shop and inhale the smells. AllaN01Bear Jun 17 #63

Thank you AllaN01Bear. I don't drink coffee. debm55 Jun 17 #64

Napalm in the morning. Smells like victory. malthaussen Jun 17 #70

Thank you Mal, I'll pass on the coffee, But bacon in the pan is such a wonderful smell. debm55 Jun 17 #92

Lilacs, lily of the valley, ground coffee. Ocelot II Jun 17 #80

Thank you for your post, Ocelot II . The smell of the trees are wonderful experiences. Thank you for sharing. debm55 Jun 17 #91

It's not my favorite smell, but it's the one that brings childhood memories back the most effectively and vividly. Aristus Jun 17 #87

What a beautiful post of your memories. We only used Chap-Stick in the winter.in SW PA. Your post is funny. Thank you debm55 Jun 17 #88

Baking bread is the best Ritabert Jun 17 #89

Sure is! Thank you very much, Ritabert. debm55 Jun 17 #90

In the Northern Hemisphere justaprogressive Jun 17 #93

Oh that is beautiful. thank you very much for sharing your lovely post with us. May the memories of your mom, forever be debm55 Jun 17 #95

Mom always liked me best justaprogressive Jun 17 #97

Oh you , Thank you justaprogressive. debm55 Jun 17 #100

Can't describe the smell, but it instantly takes me back... ultralite001 Jun 17 #103

Thank you very much ultralite for sharing your favorite smells and memories. May the memories of your dad bring debm55 Jun 17 #105

Hoppes #9 purple_haze Jun 17 #107

Thank you very much purple-haze for sharing your memories with us. debm55 Jun 17 #108

I don't think this is my favorite... jmowreader Jun 17 #109

Thank you very much jmowreader. for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 18 #123

Old Spice. My dad used it after shaving some_of_us_are_sane Jun 17 #110

Thank you very some_of_us_are_sane.. I too remember the Old Spice. freshly baked pies and the smell of real pine . Thank debm55 Jun 17 #115

Roses and freshly-cut grass Mad_Dem_X Jun 17 #111

Thank you for sharing your favorite smells, Mad_Dem_X, Yes , the cut grass while barefoot is a great memory. debm55 Jun 17 #114

Pine needles in the hot sun Wicked Blue Jun 17 #112

Thank you very much, Wicked Blue. debm55 Jun 17 #113

Interesting...never really considered weather being a factor other than after a rainstorm. I do remember some pines.... electric_blue68 Jun 17 #116

My grandfather's pipe av8rdave Jun 18 #124

Thank you very much, av8rdave. And may your grandfather's memories be a blessing to you. debm55 Jun 18 #125

The faint smell of chlorine brings back memories of childhood summers at the community pool. Basso8vb Jun 18 #126

HAHAHAHHHAHAHAHH. Thank you that is so funny. Bassoo8vb. We had a "major" problem here in the community. Someone had debm55 Jun 18 #130

SweetHeart Soap Zackzzzz Jun 18 #127

Thank you very much, Zackzzzz. I haven't smelled that in a long time. TY for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 18 #131

Anise Bmoboy Jun 18 #128

Thank you Bmoboy for sharing. I love anise cookies the scent is out of this world. debm55 Jun 18 #133

Vanilla is mine 😁 TommieMommy Jun 18 #129

Thank you very much, TommieMommy. for sharing. I love the smell of vanilla. debm55 Jun 18 #132

Freshly cut alfalfa is a close second. Prairie_Seagull Jun 19 #136

Thank you very much, Prairie_Seagull debm55 Jun 20 #139

Petrichor TexasBushwhacker Jun 19 #137

That is interesting. Thank you very much for sharing with us, TexasBushwhacker. debm55 Jun 20 #140

Freshly popped Theater popcorn. Emile Jun 19 #138

I agree. Thank you very much, Emile debm55 Jun 20 #141