Now, I’m no Bill Nye the Science Guy, but I’ll have to call it a successful experiment.
For the last couple of weeks, I wanted to semi-boldly go where no columnist (me, anyway) had gone before.
First, I wanted you to be able to ‘hear’ a column. (What are some of the best sounds in the world?)
The following week, I wanted you to be able to ‘smell’ a column. (What do bacon, baseball gloves and hockey card gum have in common?)
There was a wide variety of responses from all over the province, which is always fun.
Here’s a small sampling of some of your favourites, starting with smells:
“The best and absolute most memorable scent, is a turkey roasting in the oven. The whole house smells like an epic feast is about to take place!”
— Melanie Whittaker
“As a gardener a real old-world rose scent so intense as the sun warms the petals it arrests you as you walk past;
The pungent smell of violets crushed while walking across the lawn;
My herb garden – rosemary, thyme, sage;
Newly turned earth while planting in spring;
The way a puppy smells;
As a farm girl from the middle of the last century, the smell of lanolin reminds me of lambs;
Dettol as the vet’s trunk reeked of it;
From the same era, every school concert smelled of wet wool from the winter coats;
The smell of snow in the air the day before it falls;
And to this day, winter and summer I hang my sheets on the line to capture the wind and the sun. Think it is my ultimate favourite.”
— Trish Findlay
“Freshly popped popcorn;
Fresh cut cedar as you’re stacking firewood in fall;
Your puppy’s fur when he comes home from the groomer;
A baby’s skin or hair;
— Laurie from Qualicum Beach
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And a few sounds:
“The sound you can make when you put your index finger into your puffed cheek and make a ‘pop’ sound;
Tinkling of outdoor chimes;
The sound of music from an approaching ice cream truck;
Most European and Newfoundland accents, especially my aunties calling me on the phone and asking what the time is. They would always forget that they are 4 1/2 hours ahead.”
— Judee Doyle
“The screaming sound of a fishing reel as a salmon takes the lure and runs it;
The sound of a whale blowing out its blowhole;
The sound of BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires squealing on the asphalt;
Sound of kids laughing in the playground;
Sound of eagles talking or calling to each other;
The sound of coins dropping from a winning roll on a old slot machine.”
— Rob Fraser
The crunch and crackle of autumn leaves underfoot;
The sound of hundreds of voices singing ‘O Canada’ in a stadium/arena;
The sound of a hunting hawk wheeling overhead.”
— Susan Pallister
“How about the sound of a golf ball dropping in the hole? Or the sound of a really well hit ball off the tee.”
The crunch of boots on the snow on a sunny, cold day.”
— Gail Leatherdale
The clatter of a linotype typesetting machine;
The rumble of a newspaper press running while you’re at your desk at an afternoon-publishing newspaper;
Probably my favourite is the sound of rain on the deck of your boat when you’re safely in your bed at anchor.”
— Bill Jones
Thanks as always for the feedback, and keep it coming. More fun ahead.
PQB News/Vancouver Island Free Daily editor Philip Wolf can be reached via email at philip.wolf@blackpress.ca, or by phone at 250-905-0019.
