记忆中夏天的甜香

Have you opened a new box of crayons lately？ That distinctive scent is like no other， and the moment it meets your nose， it's as if you've been transported back to second grade. The scent and the memory seem inexplicably1） intertwined2）.

Researchers tell us that specific scents can evoke powerful memories. On the farm， every season has its own distinct set of scents and associated memories， but I think the most memorable scents belong to summertime. To me， childhood summer memories come flooding back the moment I smell new-mown3） grass. In my mind's eye， I can see my grandfather mowing the farm yard. I can hear him calling Rocky—his devoted dog—and I can see her run to him along the driveway with joy.

The scent of potato salad takes me back to my family reunions—tables overflowing with picnic fare and surrounded by crowds of relatives. I can hear my great aunts singing around the piano； I can hear my uncle， directing the activities with an entertaining air of authority.

Even something as ordinary as the scent of wet laundry can take me back to my childhood summers. My grandmother taught me to hang laundry on the clothesline， along with the little time-saving tricks for conserving clothespins4）. After we'd finish the laundry， we'd go pick wildflowers to dry for winter. The scent of drying tansy5） reminds me of those days.

And， to me， summer smells like toast. As a child， my favorite summertime breakfast was a plate of almost-burned toast， prepared to my precise specifications by my grandmother. While the toast was still hot， she'd spread a generous layer of peanut butter from edge to edge， and that creamy goodness would melt and seep6） into the gaps of the toast. And I would sit in her kitchen and drink milk and listen to the joyful banter7） of my grandparents as I soaked in the goodness of the summer and the sunshine and—yes—thesentimental8） scent of slightly burned toast.

每個人记忆中的夏天都有独特的气味，也许是刚割过的青草散发的清香，也许是大雨过后泥土湿润的气息，也许是午后玩耍时突然闻到的从自家厨房飘出的香气……那是童年的气息，是家人的气息，更是难以忘怀的回忆的香气。endprint