Recently, out for a morning walk, I smelled lilacs! And, I remembered the lilacs we had in our front yard in Cedar Vale! Strange how flowers and their scents remind you of past scents and flowers! Every once in a while, I sense a smell that reminds me of my first love! Can't remember the name of that perfume. Yet, I remember the girl!
All of this causes me to think on my "graduation!" As I remember the night, it was filled with a great deal of joy...and some sadness. Seemed like I was "in between" a present world and one which was to become! Kind of in an "in-between land!" It was a special place. No worries, yet.
Yet, you knew, worries were to come! Yet, you had such confidence that you and those around you would find "a place" where all that we had come through would find "its place!"
So, tomorrow, I go to the graduation of my granddaughter. She has graduated from M.U. with a degree in nursing! I tried, my fellow Jayhawkers, to show her the "true light!" I have hopes that she will continue her pursuit of knowledge at that "high mount" of Oread!
In the meantime, I think of graduation. Each of us have graduated. Each of us are continuing to graduate! Just know, that the time I spent "achieving" my graduation in Cedar Vale, is a time which I hope my children, my grandchildren and their children....and on down the line, will look back and say upon their graduation, "giving your all, it seems to me, is not so far from victory!"
Don't know about you. Just wish I had given more.
14 comments:
Thanks, Don, for your heartfelt post. I read it just after I received a set of photos that I will be posting on the CV blog. Diane Bradbury was kind enough to send them to me. These photos were not taken in CV, but I'm sure that we all remember the "day of infamy" that President Roosevelt described.
Keep on posting. Your posts keep me somewhat in touch with a past life in a small town in the middle of the USA. It is a good perspective to hold onto as we learn more and more about our adopted country, Spain--a country with its own past that stretches back many centuries.
After eighth grade graduation ... I took Norma Champlin to the movies at the Leonard Theatre. Following the movie her parents picked Norma up to go home from Whitney's Drug Store.
Moving from Cedar Vale in October of my senior year ... I was graduated from Dexter High School. If my memory is correct ... after the event ... Jim Foster, Donna Cochran, and Pat Oltjen ventured with me to Ark City for a meal. The huge graduation parties weren't happening at that time (at least) in Dexter.
Don, the lilac smell most certainly does invoke the past. As far as memories of perfume goes ... the gals never let me get close enough for me to remember how they smelt ... smelled ... smole? Anyway, if a person remembers (I don't) how 'Evening in Paris' odorified ... most probably that is how most of the gals of all ages glorified the smelly buds. I do remember that the popular stuff came in a blue bottle. If you were sorta upscale and a male ... you might have owned a bottle of 'Old Spice' for special occasions.
I remember my first and best "girl friend" wore that "Evening in Paris" and it was a wonderful odor.
Years afterward, I bugged my wife to try to find that perfect perfume and, poor thing, she tried a thousand but without success. Now I find that "Evening in Paris" was taken off the market and all of that searching was really for naught. Funny how the makers of something that is really successful will discontinue it, and substitute something that is far inferior.
I'm sure you can buy "Evening in Paris" perfume, still in a blue bottle, at The Vermont Country Store. They have a web site and a catalog. In fact they have lots of things from "our past" for sale in their catalog.
If my computer is working, I have a few words to add to the "Evening in Paris! (This is just to check to see if I am still working!!!)
Thanks to Phil, Wayne and Pat for your "Evening in Paris" stories! Brings back to mind the days when my olfactory senses could detect that aroma from distances not now imaginable!
I just know those were days when my "olfactory" nerves could detect such an aroma! I would look around and look to see if "the girl" was still there~! I could never find her! But, that scent was remembered! Later, when my "old-factory" nerves replaced those of younger years, I seemed to rely upon lilacs! And, when I caught a gentle whiff of those lilacs, it put me "back" into a world, not seen clearly then, and to a world not seen clearly now!
Yet, the fragrance stirred certain feelings that only one who has smelled lilacs, or "Evening in Paris," for that matter, can understand!
I thank you, Pat! I will be contacting the Vermont Country Store, ordering my bottle of "Evening in Paris," to see if just a "whiff" will remind me of days long gone by...but never forgotten! I will give it to my dear wife of 53 years, and say, "Here, try this...you'll like it!
Just contacted Vermont Country Store! Do you know that "Evening in Paris," in the blue bottle, is going for $45.00!!!!!!
Think I'll keep smelling the lilacs!!!!!
For Shame, Don. My husband buys me Chanel No. 5 at least once a year and it costs a lot more than $45.00!Go to Perfumes.Shopzilla.com and you can buy 1.6 oz of Evening in Paris for $29.99 plus shipping. To be honest, I rarely order anything from Vermont Country Store because I do think they are too pricey on all of their stuff. My husband says they are really proud of their stuff.
I will go to the funeral of a very old lady this afternoon, Helen (Rogers) Rose. It will be a tradicional service and I'm sure my olfacory nerves and memories will be stimulated by the floral tributes. Since I spent part of my youth growing up in a funeral home I certainly remember the aroma when it was a biggy with lots of flowers. Roses of course, and carnations along with lilies gave most of the fragrance. Carnations were the strongest aroma, but the overall impression was Lilies. I recall Dad using some kind of floral fragrance from an aerosol can around the venue if the service was for lesser knowns and there were only a few sprays and plants. Now there are usually designated memorials. I'm sure it makes more sense, but I DO miss the flowers.
Don, I don't remember the smell of flowers at a funeral. When thinking about it ... the flower smell should permeate the area when there are many arrangements. Perhaps that part of my system was isolated from reality.
Thanks, Don ... for a quite interesting perspective.
Forgot to mention that there are some smells that register in the memory bank that are perhaps a bit negative.
Being at a farmers place years ago we were visiting when a slight breeze brought to the senses such a non-delight. He said, "Phil, do you smell that?" As I replied in the affirmative he continued, "When the price of hogs is bad ... that is the worst smell in the world to me ... and when the price is good ... it's the best!"
Perhaps that is true often ... as when Don remembers the aroma of the perfume of a delightful gal of the past ... it's a good thing. Now should he have had the memory of the same smell walking down the hallway of CVHS and he wasn't so fond of her ... would the memory be as intense? I suppose it would have not been so positive?
New mown hay or grass seems to bring good memories for whatever reason. Sometimes, I don't even remember the reason good feelings come from certain scents. Just the natural smell of a good woman ... somewhat musky at times ... is rather hard to duplicate or to beat. The smell of a greasy hamburger conjectures great memories.
Baby. Lotion. Rain. Those little white flowering blossoms in early spring that are on bushes similar to (and that bloom around the same time) as lilacs. And finally, it seems to me that as you get older so many times a smell will jolt you back to another era ... either positive or negative.
Several blogs back someone wondered how many graduating seniors this year at CVHS...........nine (9). Also someone asked about Jim Hill. Donna Jean Hill visited in Cedar Vale recently. Maybe Don Cox can give some information about Jim.
Well, Phil, I remember this wonderful girl named, Nadine! I was caught "smooching" with her in the halls of old CVHS! Miss Fromong caught us! "Stop that," she said! We did! But, you know, the memory of that "smooch" lives on to this day!!!!!!!!
Goodness, Don ... I thought that type of activity was only in the larger schools. As for me ... I didn't "smooch" in the halls. (Not because I didn't want to .. but for the lack of a cooperating partner .. but come to think of it, Miss Fromong would have been more than acceptable.)
Pardon if I have shared this story previously .. but this brings to mind both the aforementioned Jim Hill and Miss Fromong. I had a tussle with Gerald Williamson outside at noon hour and came to Glee Club with my shirt half outside my pants (Gerald's shirt was torn). I was sitting next to Jim and Miss Fromong marched over to me and forcefully demanded that I straighten myself up or something to that order. I agreed (and perhaps to impress Jim and the other hoodlum singers) I stood up and acted as if I was going to drop my pants in order to bring my shirt to an acceptable manner. Miss Fromong was furious and sent me to the office of the principal. I don't remember my penalty.
Miss Fromong should have been treated with more respect and I am ashamed that I so misbehaved in her class (and others).
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