Spring is here. Stems are sprouting, and seeds are dropping. Today I collected Milkweed seeds and the last of the Cassia seeds. The first Cassia already sprouted.
But the real fun was had with someone else’s seeds today. Cooper and John came home from a bike ride with a giant Mahogany seed a little over a week ago. Today Cooper brought it out from his room and asked if one of us had cut it open.
The actual seeds look like Maple seeds, but you can’t stick them to your nose – there’s no seam to split open…I tried. That was my childhood memory; John went straight to the helicopter trick.
It’s fascinating the strange and unexpected things that trigger memories. The first time I cut parsley as an adult, the smell overwhelmed me. It threw me back to my late grandmother’s kitchen, making bread crumbs. That was always my job. I’d cut the parsley from the garden and then climb up on my stool by the sink to wash it and put it in the food processor with the toasted bread. It’s one of my more vivid memories – maybe because it was something I could do myself, maybe because I still have a scar on my chin from falling off the stool, or maybe because of no other reason than that smell.
One of Discovery Health’s How Stuff Works discusses smell and memories, “When you first smell a new scent, you link it to an event, a person, a thing or even a moment. Your brain forges a link between the smell and a memory…Because we encounter most new odors in our youth, smells often call up childhood memories.”
Is there a sight or smell in your garden that brings back a childhood memory?
There’s a brand of soap that always reminds me of going to camp. I don’t know why I had soap in my suitcase that wasn’t our usual brand. The fragrance lingered for a long time.
Don’t forget to check your Plot at botanical for messages.
That should have read ‘Blotanical’ — not a common word to spell.
Thanks for sharing, Nell Jean…on my way to Blotanical now.