Stop and Smell the....Garlic

Or mint, or fresh cut hay...I was driving home after dark the other night and my sense of smell was overwhelmed.  

As I first left town, it was garlic.  What an amazing smell.  It made me think of fettuccine alfredo, garlic bread and salad!  Who knew driving home could make me so hungry.  Local farmers were harvesting garlic and the strong aroma filled the evening air.

Not more than a mile or two down the road, it was the overwhelming fragrance of mint...another local crop. When mint is harvested, it is chopped and "cooked". After the oil is extracted, the remains of the plant is dumped in a steaming pile. The fragrance is strong, sometimes overbearing.  On this particular evening, it was a pleasant smell.  Just enough to erase the recent smell of garlic.

Almost home and once again the fragrance changed to fresh cut grass hay. There is nothing to me that smells fresher than that.  It was kind of a crisp, clean smell.  It reminds me of being a kid and playing outside on the fresh cut lawn.

As I continued my drive home, I thought about what I had just experienced.  In our valley many crops are produced each year.  Farmers work hard for their living. I turned the corner, and although it didn't give off much of a fragrance, I saw a large field of Wild Rice being harvested...add another crop to the list.

Take some time to stop and smell the........whatever it is that makes your town, community, home, family great!