Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Last night, hubs and I were over at a friend's house for supper (homemade pizza with homegrown basil on top.) It as a good time with good people. When we left around ten pm, I was unprepared for the nice surprise awaiting me when I stepped out the door of their apartment building. It was beautiful, it was light, it was oh so refreshing, ..........it was a wiff of nature. I could actually smell something that smelled natural. (natural from the environment, not referring to the natural smell some humans pump out- just to clarify) It smelled like trees or shrubs or some such greenery. And when we looked up the sky was clear, you could see the stars. It was good to be alive.

You might think, yeah, those things are nice, but what're you making the big to do over?

Well, here in this city, until recently there hasn't been a lot of "nature" around, just mostly concrete and pavement. Things are starting to shape up, they are planting lots of trees and bushes, and flowers. All very good ideas in my books, so that is starting to make a difference.

The other thing here that is a BIG problem, is that often when you walk outside, all you can smell is the smell of industry. Stinky industry. Pew. There are some big factories around here and they smell. Then beyond that there is always a plethora of other treats for the olfactory senses when you venture outside- stink from manholes, warm garbage, and assorted things that you can' t quite identify.

There is one whole street that always smells like a sewer mixed with a chemical factory.

So, nights like last night are pleasant, a breeze blowing carrying with it desirable smells, pure smells, things that don't make you want to rush inside. And it's a reminder of how things used to be.

2 comments:

polarpegs said...

Okay girl, you grew up with eau de pulp mill as the town fragrance. You must be used to some stench.

The confused foreigner. said...

This is a good point, but I think I grew a tolerance for it so I didn't notice it much. I remember students from CBC saying "WOAH the air stinks today" and I thought "Huh? What are you talking about?...sniff sniff, oh yeah I guess you can smell the pulp mill today...a little bit...I hadn't noticed."
I was thankful that you could only smell it on certain days if the wind was from the wrong direction.
It's a whole different level of stench here. Sometimes you can cut the air with a knife. Not everyday is a smoggy day and not every day is a stinky day here.... everyday is a little different. So, that is something to be thankful for.