15 January 2015 "Smell"

When I think of what my home smells like, I remember what my dog’s ears smell like when he’s sitting on my lap. They’re soft right on the top, velvety, and they have this warm scent, like a favorite blanket that smells cozy even if it hasn’t been used in a while. It isn’t a loud scent, in fact I can only sometimes detect it, only when he is warm to the touch and has fallen asleep quietly.

            My other dog likes to play with toys, even though he is approaching fifteen. He has this favorite ball, this ridiculous blue and green thing that I found with him on a walk years ago, covered in mud and old chew marks. It smells sweet, like that special sweet reserved for plastic things such as rubber ducks. It’s the first thing he brings to me when I come home, and even though it is years old, it has always smelled the same.

            We have this old china cabinet in the dining room of our house, and it is where we keep the special plates, the odd dishware that doesn’t fit in the kitchen, small, unlit candles, and the random candy that is sometimes placed in this special bowl on an end table in the living room. You can only smell it when you open the cabinet, and it comes in a whiff when you pull hard enough to combat the stick of the door to the frame. It smells like an old wooden wardobe, but one that is full of things. It smells like chocolate, M & M’s, and dishware that isn’t used very often The tea light candles give it an overlying hint of sweetness that is gentle but powerful, noticeable in the same way that you still smell soap on your hands after you’ve rinsed and dried them.