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Terri Webster Schrandt

Sunday Stills: What is That #Aroma?

I thought to title my post “what’s that smell,” but changed it at the last minute 😊 Plus Marsha already used it…she had a good reason.

Despite my continuing difficulty with the loss of my senses of taste and smell (thanks, Covid), back in October 2020, I manage to enjoy the aromas of so many things.

Oddly my senses of taste and smell are muted in the afternoon. I can taste and smell my coffee without difficulty in the morning, thank goodness.

Weekend-Coffee-Share
Enjoying a cuppa Joe!

Since we are having coffee today, let’s explore all the good smells, aromas, scents, and fragrances.

Spring Scents

You can almost breathe in the smell of the crisp, mountain air after the rain!

Lake Spokane after Spring Rain
After the rain on Lake Spokane

My dog Brodie’s sense of smell is 400 times that of humans, as most dogs’ are. He spends a lot of time sniffing the dirt, probably smelling the voles underground.

Brodies Nose
Brodie’s very active nose…must be a vole

Speaking of the animal kingdom, I always loved it when the hummingbirds flocked to their feeders.

Hummingbird ready to feed

Oddly they cannot detect the scent of sugar water but they are attracted to garden flowers and will see the feeder and take full advantage!

Smoky Smells

This weekend, we spent Saturday celebrating my niece’s 40th birthday at her 10-acre property south of Spokane. There was amazing BBQ and other mouth-watering aromas for anyone. Believe it or not, my niece is known to enjoy a cigar occasionally. While shopping this week at a beverage box store, we checked out the cigar room. I didn’t like the smell of the room, but I enjoy cigar smoke in small doses.

aroma of cigars
dried tobacco
dried tobacco hangs in cigar room

My grandfather loved his pipe and some of his furniture I inherited still bears the aroma of the smoke inside the drawers! Definitely fond memories of times long ago.

In our neighborhood, everyone has a wood- (or pellet-) burning stove. The sweet smell of woodsmoke is quite soothing to me.

What I hate are the smoky smells from wildfires. Keeping fingers crossed that we have none this year.

Smokey orb over pine trees
Riverside State Park, WA

Eau de Décor

Do you surround yourself with fragrances in your home? I use those wall plug-ins that emit a chosen scent.

Wallflower Scent Turtle

I prefer florals and warm woodsy scents over vanilla and fruit/foody smells. I can handle the scents of cinnamon and pumpkin spice around Thanksgiving into the holidays. Same with hand and body lotions. I don’t want to smell like food or fruit.

“It was very pleasant to savor its aroma, for smells have the power to evoke the past, bringing back sounds and even other smells that have no match in the present.”

― Laura Esquivel, Like Water for Chocolate

Floral Fragrances

Here is a gallery of some of my favorite floral scents.

Pink plumeria
Plumeria
macro plumeria
Plumeria
Aromatic Lavender
Lavender

This week, don’t forget to stop and smell the roses!

desaturated roses
Desaturated roses

Any flowers will do even if they don’t have a scent. It’s the act of stopping and taking the time to do so that’s important.

Photo Challenges this Week

Each week I am inspired by my fellow bloggers’ photo challenges. I find it fun to incorporate these into my Sunday Stills weekly themes.

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

Sunday Stills weekly challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post.

  • Remember to title your blog post a little differently than mine.
  • Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
  • Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
  • Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
  • Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
  • I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.

This Week’s Featured Bloggers

Sunday Stills is a wonderful community of bloggers and photographers who desire to connect with one another. Below are this week’s links from bloggers who shared scent-sational photos. I edit these all week as new links are added.

graphic ice cream

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98 comments

  2. Way too many things to comment on in this post, Terri. Still lost your sense of smell thanks to COVID–yikes! That’s a long time. Will it come back? Clicked through to Marsha’s post on smells. I need those for my writing. Smelling the voles? What the heck are ‘voles’–off to DDG it. Smell of wildfires–they are healthy for nature if only man wouldn’t build so close to forests! But we do…

    Hugs dear efriend.

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    • Thanks, Jacqui! I appreciate all your comments! I suppose I am a covid long-hauler with this loss of senses. I’ve gotten used to it. Voles are like field mice here in Inland Northwest. Not as destructive as gophers. Here’s hoping and praying that we have a calm wildfire season in the west! Hugs back!

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  7. Sorry to hear you’re still struggling with your senses of smell and taste. It’s so weird how Covid has created long-term issues for some and nothing for others, even weirder that those senses vary from morning to afternoon. I generally prefer fragrance-free products, but sometimes they can be difficult to find. Otherwise, a light citrus scent is OK. I’m with you on the coffee, but I don’t like most smoky smells, though I love the smell of barbecues, which is just as well around here!
    Here’s my smelly offering this week: https://grahamsisland.com/2022/05/15/as-happy-as/

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    • You are lucky Kirstin! I feel fortunate that I did lose the senses at the time because it alerted me to take a test for which it was positive! Who knows how many other folks I could have infected had that symptom not manifested. It can go away now…

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  11. Socks about the long haul Covid issue but thankfully it is only those and not some very serious ones. Not to make light of it though as I am sure it takes enjoyment out of life’s sensory items. My favourite smell — the alfalfa field after it hS been freshly cut. Followed by the summer rain smell which here is not very often anymore.

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  14. I love the scent of rain-washed earth, so fresh and loamy! Another scent I gravitate toward is the coffee bean aisle in the grocery store. Someone is usually there grinding their favorite blend, and oh, the aroma- heavenly 🙂

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  18. I enjoyed all your smelly photos Terri, but I’m sorry to hear you’ve lost some of your senses due to Covid, it seems to be a thing doesn’t it? You’ve given us a lot of variety in your post. I’ve just stuck to the theme of muddy earth smells in my post today. I am away from home and the internet reception is sooooo sloooow but I managed to get it done!

    The smell of earth after rain #SundayStills

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  20. Woah, that’s way too many muted senses, Terri. I loved this post and how it brought out the nuances of smells I hadn’t thought about. Cigars, for example. Those are acquired tastes, which I never acquired, but pipe smoke is lovely. I don’t know that I’d want a house full, but an occasional sniff is pleasant. I love Brodie and his voles. Puppy Girl is not so much a hunter as a socializer in her sniffing efforts. Puppy Girl and I are out on my patio enjoying the fragrances of all my new plants. Vince got another stand and bouquet while I was visiting Palm Desert. He fixed the waterfall and the fire pit, so the patio is almost complete with so many senses – even for muted people like us! 🙂

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  26. I love aromas, and coffee is top of the list, hehe. Lately, I’ve been out and about in nature and the spring smells are intoxicating. I smell lots of sweet smells from different wildflowers and plants. To switch it up, I even love a good marsh smell! 😉

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  27. Love the smell post rain, sometimes earthy but I smell clean air! Love the grandfather story, that is one thing I remember fondly about my grandpa Cliff. And I’m also still drawn to pipe tabbaco smells. And Bodi! We always claim our Coopers nose is what always got him him trouble…now as age has diminished his sight and hearing his nose is what keeps him active.

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  29. Loved your smell picks Terri – coffee, cigars, don’t bother me at all. And isn’ that strange how everyone has different no taste and no smell experiences from Covid. I got it last month and was fine in 2 weeks. After I was fine was when I lost my taste buds, but I could still smell – like an oxymoron, lol. But after only 1 week I could taste again. Thankfully. ❤

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  30. Bummer that you still struggle with taste and smell Terri – although it seems you’re slowly getting both back. My S-I-L is the only person I know who lost her sense of taste but not smell – weird! I loved your comment about the smells remaining in the drawers creating fond memories. As for me, I’ll take the aromas from the kitchen every time LOL! My husband makes the absolute best chocolate chip cookies in the universe. I’ve forbidden him to make them while I’m watching my weight!!!

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  32. I’m sorry to hear you’re still struggling to taste and smell properly – although I guess it’s good news that you can at least enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning! I hope things get back to normal soon 🤗 I’m totally with you on the smell of the earth after rain (but I never knew it had a name!) and wood smoke, and it seems we share similar taste in room fragrances.

    Here’s my contribution to the aroma theme: https://www.toonsarah-travels.blog/gallery-in-the-cardamom-hills-of-kerala/

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  33. Terri,
    Thanks for the shout-out to us cigar smokers. There’s is a lot to like about the scent of a good cigar (outdoors). I also love the aroma of a good Cabernet and I am constantly swirling the wine glass and taking a whiff. Love your pictures, as always, and that hummer is a great shot. Have a great week! Joe

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  38. Sorry you lost your sense of smell post-Covid Terri, but your images and descriptions let all of smell virtually and the aromas and scents are heavenly. (Nothing smells as good as coffee and fresh bread in my opinion.)

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  39. Brodie is just like Toby and Austin. Half the time is spent sniffing rather than walking or running after the tennis ball I always bring along on our walks. I have to be very careful with some smells that Austin checks out cause he has an awful habit of rolling around in said substance – often fox poo! I don’t know what attracts dogs to things like fox poo and wanting to roll around on dead fish on the beach, either. I’m just glad it’s not only my dogs that seem to be attracted to rolling around in those items.

    You have a whole host of aromas on this week’s post, Terri. Like many others have said, I especially love the smell of the outside air after a rain. Likewise, I also love the smell of freshly cut grass, although it’s not me that does the cutting.

    I’ll be participating later in my Wordless Wednesday post.

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    • I’m glad you enjoyed all the smells this week, Hugh! Our dogs must really enjoy life through their noses. Hans wanted to put cow manure/fertilizer on areas of our lawn and I nixed that idea since Brodie would just roll in it all day! Soon Hans will mow our new-ish lawn and you reminded me to go out later and have a sniff!

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  46. Terri, I love plug-ins with floral scents (think spa), the smell of a good cigar, fresh-cut grass, sea air, and just about anything Malcolm decides to bake. You selected some wonderful visuals to go with this post!

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