Your TKG NewsLetter. Rediscovering SCENTS - we are talking about the nose. Though I should have more sense! A walk-about out into the fields after harvest. And the farm. Always the farm.
I think I shared with you that I discovered I had an 'enhanced sense of small' after my covid. it was awful and lasted about a year. these were all very bad smells, completely made up by my brain connecting to my sinuses which must have been impacted by the covid. the doc who I had an appointment with said she had it also, with different smells, and she is treating many people who either lost of have the enhanced false smell thing going on.
Love that you retraining your sense of smell. And I especially love this: "Maybe we need to retrain ourselves to be awake to every moment of this precious life." So very, very, true.
I love your walk about! I feel that I have more of a sense of where things are relative to others. The north, south, east and west views were, as usual, so wide open and spacious.
It sounds as though you used to have a very sophisticated nose, hope your nose training has an impact.
I always save my leaves. Shred and compost a lot and put the others on my flower beds as mulch. This year I am going to just let the leaves stay on the beds in the shady back area where there are lots of little ephemerals which are so exciting to see coming up early, early each spring. Always before I raked out those beds, shredded the leaves from them and put them back into the beds thinking that the whole leaves would just overwhelm the ephemerals but the shredded leaves would break down more easily. But recently I've been reading that those little bitty things can come up perfectly well as long as the leaf layer isn't too terribly thick. So an experiment.
Nature really has sorted it out. I remember the bluebells in the forests in Kent UK. They come back through the leaf litter stronger than ever- so beautiful! And such old plantings. Let me know how your experiment goes!
I am slowly getting faint hints of smells these days. Like a whisper ... but then when I try to listen again ... it is gone. I was quite surprised to discover my sense of smell was gone. I feel like I should have noticed right off - the very next minute when it was no longer working. But I think I might have gone a while (days? maybe even a couple of weeks?) before I noticed. That is because I was still taking big breaths in. I think I was even 'imagining' I could smell when I did that ... And then one day there was a strong smell in our neighbourhood as the nearby farm fields had been fertilized. People in our apartment building were commenting and all closing their windows. Even when I breathed in as deeply as I could - not a hint of it at all! There are some advantages - we do have two cats - and a litter box ... But I do miss the deep earthy smell of fall. I get very excited when I catch a hint of a smell. I can relate to your barcode analogy. It IS like getting only one or two bars. I miss being able to sense a smell and then SMELL AGAIN. I think I used to do that often. "Oh - SMELL that!" and I'd take it in again. So strange to smell a teeny tiny whiff ... and then nothing when I try to breathe it in more deeply. I'll eagerly follow your progress!
I'll smell roses for you... I do it everyday, one of the joys of my garden... unexpected, I didn't think I would love having a rose garden quite so much.
Retraining, as an awareness is an important, and regular discussion here in this mid life heading to senior years household. Not smells, tg but how to respond to life's challenges and in particular for us physically & practically, movement.
It's easy to, and we did, assume what we do - have always done is sufficient and ignore what isn't working well but in the same way you value your senses, particularly smell we realised we needed to be active -rather than complacent- in our response to change, and also accept that we cannot retain or regain what has gone however the thing we accomplish in its place is at least functional.
It's an important conversation, thank you for the opportunity ♡
“Maybe we need to retrain our vocabulary so we don’t need quite such a long pause before we find the right word. “ — absolutely love this.
Thanks for a brilliant reminder - time to be more present when smelling wonderful smells. Time to really take them in. Although I’m not sure I can get to barcode level!
Tell your daughter to find a bottle of something that smells really strong and give herself a good sniff for as long a she smells it. Often. Orange oil is great! Or vanilla essence from the cupboard. The brain is incredibly elastic. Hopefully she can smell better soon!
I have moderate synaesthesia, but it isn't smell related. I see colours as sounds. But my sense of smell is thankfully fully back after The Rona, and I dread getting older so that my senses dull. May I smell for you: rain on dry ground, passionfruit pulp, the rubbery stink of fruitbats, the fruity waft from my coffee beans as I grind them each morning, fresh bananas straight off the stem, the delicate vanilla aroma of lomandra, the earthy deliciousness of freshly dug turmeric root, and the Guerlain Vetyver I spray on lightly some mornings. I wish you great success in retraining your nose and recovering the lost pleasures of smelling everything in glorious Technicolour!
Your photos of the animals are just great! And the walkabout was perfect with my morning cuppa green tea. The pigs make me laugh. I want to touch them. So social! Your description of the winter color is evocative. There used to be a wonderful North Dakota photographer who specialised in black and white. He said it was because he'd grown up through ND winters...it was inevitable that he would see the world that way. Will be thinking of you over the next couple days. Sincere best wishes to all the beings on your farm -- human and not -- that it goes gently.
I have a taste issue, but I think mine is connected with aging. I have read that taste buds shrink and basically wear out as we live longer. I know that taste and smell go together and I can still smell scents very well. It was about 2 years ago though that I realized my dark roast coffee had very little flavor and over time I know that I now lack the taste of other foods. Sort of a trial and error thing although it seems to come and go at times. Very strange indeed. You can taste things though- correct?
I love the idea of “smell barcodes.”
I also appreciate your call to be more intentional with our senses, not just in the context of smell but in how we experience life in general.
Thank you Cecilia.
Happy Monday!
I think I shared with you that I discovered I had an 'enhanced sense of small' after my covid. it was awful and lasted about a year. these were all very bad smells, completely made up by my brain connecting to my sinuses which must have been impacted by the covid. the doc who I had an appointment with said she had it also, with different smells, and she is treating many people who either lost of have the enhanced false smell thing going on.
Yes! I remember. Thankfully my bad smell period was short! How do you smell now? (What an odd question but you know what I mean!?). 😀
Love that you retraining your sense of smell. And I especially love this: "Maybe we need to retrain ourselves to be awake to every moment of this precious life." So very, very, true.
Yes! I think so! Evening Charlotte!!
I love your walk about! I feel that I have more of a sense of where things are relative to others. The north, south, east and west views were, as usual, so wide open and spacious.
It sounds as though you used to have a very sophisticated nose, hope your nose training has an impact.
I always save my leaves. Shred and compost a lot and put the others on my flower beds as mulch. This year I am going to just let the leaves stay on the beds in the shady back area where there are lots of little ephemerals which are so exciting to see coming up early, early each spring. Always before I raked out those beds, shredded the leaves from them and put them back into the beds thinking that the whole leaves would just overwhelm the ephemerals but the shredded leaves would break down more easily. But recently I've been reading that those little bitty things can come up perfectly well as long as the leaf layer isn't too terribly thick. So an experiment.
Nature really has sorted it out. I remember the bluebells in the forests in Kent UK. They come back through the leaf litter stronger than ever- so beautiful! And such old plantings. Let me know how your experiment goes!
I am slowly getting faint hints of smells these days. Like a whisper ... but then when I try to listen again ... it is gone. I was quite surprised to discover my sense of smell was gone. I feel like I should have noticed right off - the very next minute when it was no longer working. But I think I might have gone a while (days? maybe even a couple of weeks?) before I noticed. That is because I was still taking big breaths in. I think I was even 'imagining' I could smell when I did that ... And then one day there was a strong smell in our neighbourhood as the nearby farm fields had been fertilized. People in our apartment building were commenting and all closing their windows. Even when I breathed in as deeply as I could - not a hint of it at all! There are some advantages - we do have two cats - and a litter box ... But I do miss the deep earthy smell of fall. I get very excited when I catch a hint of a smell. I can relate to your barcode analogy. It IS like getting only one or two bars. I miss being able to sense a smell and then SMELL AGAIN. I think I used to do that often. "Oh - SMELL that!" and I'd take it in again. So strange to smell a teeny tiny whiff ... and then nothing when I try to breathe it in more deeply. I'll eagerly follow your progress!
Get that vanilla off the shelf and start retraining - we will do it together!
I'll smell roses for you... I do it everyday, one of the joys of my garden... unexpected, I didn't think I would love having a rose garden quite so much.
Retraining, as an awareness is an important, and regular discussion here in this mid life heading to senior years household. Not smells, tg but how to respond to life's challenges and in particular for us physically & practically, movement.
It's easy to, and we did, assume what we do - have always done is sufficient and ignore what isn't working well but in the same way you value your senses, particularly smell we realised we needed to be active -rather than complacent- in our response to change, and also accept that we cannot retain or regain what has gone however the thing we accomplish in its place is at least functional.
It's an important conversation, thank you for the opportunity ♡
And thank you for smelling the roses for me!
Fascinating. I do not smell like you did, in barcodes, it sounds like a truly advanced skill!
I smell better than most people though, I gather. Or I'm more sensitive to smells I dislike... Not that I see that as a bad thing.
It is a very good thing! And I think noting the smells you dislike is a kind of survival skill! Thank you for the restack!
My pleasure C!
“Maybe we need to retrain our vocabulary so we don’t need quite such a long pause before we find the right word. “ — absolutely love this.
Thanks for a brilliant reminder - time to be more present when smelling wonderful smells. Time to really take them in. Although I’m not sure I can get to barcode level!
Good morning Heather Anne! The brain is amazing, right. We forget (in our busy lives) to work on our own training. Happy Sunday!
I will share to my daughter who still is trying to recover her sense of smell. It is a slow process.
I like how your ducks were in a row. Did you train them? Or, is it instinct? :-)
They always walk in a line like that.
Tell your daughter to find a bottle of something that smells really strong and give herself a good sniff for as long a she smells it. Often. Orange oil is great! Or vanilla essence from the cupboard. The brain is incredibly elastic. Hopefully she can smell better soon!
Is that why the phrase "Get your ducks in a row"?
Oh yes!! 😂
back to normal! every so often I think I get a bad whiff for a minute but it doesn't stay - hope for you !
I have moderate synaesthesia, but it isn't smell related. I see colours as sounds. But my sense of smell is thankfully fully back after The Rona, and I dread getting older so that my senses dull. May I smell for you: rain on dry ground, passionfruit pulp, the rubbery stink of fruitbats, the fruity waft from my coffee beans as I grind them each morning, fresh bananas straight off the stem, the delicate vanilla aroma of lomandra, the earthy deliciousness of freshly dug turmeric root, and the Guerlain Vetyver I spray on lightly some mornings. I wish you great success in retraining your nose and recovering the lost pleasures of smelling everything in glorious Technicolour!
Your photos of the animals are just great! And the walkabout was perfect with my morning cuppa green tea. The pigs make me laugh. I want to touch them. So social! Your description of the winter color is evocative. There used to be a wonderful North Dakota photographer who specialised in black and white. He said it was because he'd grown up through ND winters...it was inevitable that he would see the world that way. Will be thinking of you over the next couple days. Sincere best wishes to all the beings on your farm -- human and not -- that it goes gently.
I have a taste issue, but I think mine is connected with aging. I have read that taste buds shrink and basically wear out as we live longer. I know that taste and smell go together and I can still smell scents very well. It was about 2 years ago though that I realized my dark roast coffee had very little flavor and over time I know that I now lack the taste of other foods. Sort of a trial and error thing although it seems to come and go at times. Very strange indeed. You can taste things though- correct?