Good Smells

Do you keep scraps of paper? I found one recently tucked into a book. I must've written it in college; the handwriting has the neat, curly, controlled look of myself then. Underneath a long quote are these words:

"from Small Blessings by Celestine Sibley"

I have no memory of the book or the author, but the quote I wrote out must've left a deep impression. Here it is. Thank you, Ms. Sibley.

"The smell of onions cooking is an inviting smell, and a good garlicky roast attracts some of us. All greens, mustard, collards, turnips smell good to us.

"Let's see what else: fat pine, wood smoke, fresh milk, new shoes, old books, new newspapers, little children, chocolate fudge, lye soap, country stores, cedar waterbuckets, clean sheets, seed bins, damp earth, candlewax, spring water, new paint, ocean breezes, ripe peaches, burning leaves, wild honey, summer rain, new mown grass, old leather ... the list is endless.
Thank heaven."

And that's it. Isn't it lovely? Somehow it spells out part of the reason I'm so happy to be living on a small farm. So many of the appealing smells she mentions are natural -- of the country and not of the city. They are mostly things you'd find in a rural setting. The city has its own allures, but its smells are generally not among them.

Ms. Sibley's book is at Amazon. I don't think I ever owned it. Whoever's copy I once read, I thank you.

"garlicky roast"

"burning leaves"

"country stores"

"old books"

What are your favorite smells?