By NANCY JANE KERN
THIS SEASON IS AN AMAZING MIX of beauty and change. Something we rarely consider is one of our traditional senses, smell. Growing up, our farm families of 75 years ago washed up for meals and often left their unique characters alone due to a lack of deodorants. Everyone did physical labor and was accustomed to Gramp’s belief in a weekly set of long underwear and one bath a week on Saturday night. Whew!
Our father, probably because of my mother, had frequent baths or showers. We spent much of our time outdoors and fall was a cool relief as a series of storms passed through the area and the past week was a reminder. Riding my horse in the rain gave me the pleasure of a wet horse and wet earth and trees. No horses now but the scent of rain comes through the yard to the porch. The ability to smell is considered one of the strongest memory-triggering senses and probably evolved as an adaption to warn us to seek shelter and protection. The sun faded and the gray clouds appeared. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply as the wind and strong gusts came and then the downpour of rain. Some fine droplets hit my face, and it was wonderful. Spikey dry corn leaves would unfurl, and flowers brighten. It was a clean, earthy engulfment. The high pollen counts diminished, and my sneezing stopped.
The animals shared the moment with me. Some, like the deer, fled to the evergreen woods. A damp chipmunk and a few chickadees emerged on the porch and resumed collecting scattered birdseed. An internet search said the scent of rain is called petrichor and has been extensively studied by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In a coming storm, we detect the signature musk of geosmin in concentrations as low as 100 parts per trillion. It is produced by bacteria, released by the rain hitting the dry ground to form an aerosol, and the wind carries the soil bacteria and plant particles. Sweeter ozone from the upper atmosphere is also present.
It was insightful but too clinical. I want to sense the storm, close my eyes, inhale the fragrant air, enjoy, and remember.
