May. 31, 2003 - 20:39 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Favorite Things

A bit of tranquility today, which I think was needed.

Sittin' on a shady bench in our complex, gentle breeze cooling me, flowers nearby and a stretch of grass then, the pond with its fountain ahead of me was the ideal setting to try for serenity or at least calm peace. Been a bit rocky for some time and needed a rest from that.

My mind gathered wool one might say, but seeking pleasant things. Some things came to mind, from the past and present both.

The secure feeling while a hail storm plays a symphony on a galvanized iron roof above me.

The smell of new mown grass.

The smell of sun baked railroad ties.

The smell, sight and feel of rain on the sidewalks and pavement.

Waking up in the morning to a world freshly laundered by rain of the night.

The smell of our old elementary school, redolent of the oiled wooden floors and other schoolish things.

The elation of being chosen to clean the chalkboard erasers and the concomittant cloud of chalk dust arising causing me good healthy snorting sneezes.

The treasures of the world smell in department stores when I was a kid as well as those same treasures displayed for my greedy eyes. Didn't know then or now what the heck I would have done with the stuff I lusted for.

The smells in the Home Public Market in Denver back then, where most everything edible was sold. Denver's Loop Market which had all of that and also the fragrance of fresh cut flowers from the flower shop there.

The rich smell of fresh ground coffee and the exotic smell of spices coming from Spray's Coffee here in Denver when I was young.

Nearby my nose would be teased by the rich, fertile, earthy odors coming from the seed store which handled bulbs and other gardening stuff.

The smell of travel coming from the railyards behind our Depot, rich with the exciting smell of train smoke, hot grease and the humidity of steam along with it. The evidence of being through lower down town was shown by a light deposit of soot on our sleeves.

The smell of hot tar in the summer time on the flat roof of the furniture store when I was cleaning the ventilator up there, it wasn't my regular work, but I enjoyed it.

The tantalizing and fattening smells coming out of Bauer's of sweet goods (candies, pies and cakes, ice ceams) the creme de la creme of desserts.

The early morning mountain smell on the crisp air of an early riser's coffee and bacon on the make.

The sight and aroma of a night campfire competing with the perfume of our pines in our mountains.

The dank, eerie, wet, cool feel and smell of a mine passage lit by a big flashlight carried back into the bowels of the earth (at least a hundred yards).

The pungent smell of sage on Southwest flatlands.

Most all of which exist only in my memory as my smeller has decided to quit. They are much more sharp in memory than they ever were in reality anyhow.

As Julie Andrews once sang, "These are a few of my Favorite Things" . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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