Memory Maker

I get nostalgic over mildew. Well, more accurately, I get nostalgic over the smell of old buildings, which is largely caused by mildew. It sounds strange, I know, but if you have ever been to or lived in the South, particularly if all your warm, fuzzy grandparent memories fall squarely on the Confederate side of the Mason-Dixon Line, you know what I’m talking about. It is so damp there so much of the time, being as close to a tropical climate as that area is, that kudzu flourishes, humidity is queen, and every building material with the possible exception of the ubiquitous red brick is doomed to the kind of deterioration that makes old buildings smell like old buildings. My grandmother once sent me a box of family history paperwork that I have yet to photocopy because when I open the box, I still get a moment of being in Tennessee when that old-building attic aroma sneaks out. I’ve heard many times that scent is the sense most closely aligned with memory. I don’t know if that is generally scientifically accurate, but I do know it is true in my personal history. It is not unusual for me to stop what I’m doing until I can identify whatever is causing me to experience a “scent memory.” And to make everyone else stop with me. In Al Perkins’ The Nose Book, we get to see all the good things about having a built-in nostalgia device. Appreciating old buildings is my favorite.

P.S. Happy Birthday, Grandpa! I miss you more than you could ever know.

http://www.amazon.com/Bright-Early-Books-Beginning-Beginners/dp/0394806239

http://www.librarything.com/author/perkinsal