The Stillroom

When I open my window every morning, I like to pay attention to the scents in the early morning air. I live in a ranch style house so the window is right where my schnoz is so I can crack it open and take a deep inhalation. The sense of smell is powerful.

Growing up in Duck Town, sometimes the air smelled like Allegheny Ludlum steel mill. We lived halfway between Natrona and the old Har-Brack high school. That put us level, right at the top of the smokestacks which was at that time, not monitored at all. In defense of my neighborhood, it did always smell like fresh mown lawns in the summer.

When I lived in Baltimore, the air smelled like Old Bay Seasoning. That was because I drove past the McCormick spice factory every morning on my way to work. Every time I get a whiff of that spicey goodness, it transports me back in time, which is fairly often because I love it on everything.

When I lived in Oregon, the air smelled of pine and probably weed because is was decriminalized back then. Combinations of fragrance are always interesting because they are much like the layers of flavors when we eat food. Pine was always prominent. It was lovely and Oregon winters were basically always green because, well, pine needles are there all year.

When I lived in Saxonburg, if the ceramic plant was firing up, the first scent of morning air was, well, let’s just say I kept the windows closed.

Anyhow, this morning when I opened my window, the first thing I noticed was fresh cut grass and then snow. Snow in the air does have an essence. Don’t fret though because a couple of years ago we had snow in late April. I remember because I took a video of the gigantic flakes that were falling. It was the type of snowfall where I rolled the window down in the car and just watched. It was so quiet and peaceful I could hear the flakes hit the ground.

Anyhow, cut grass and snow. Those were interesting layers of fragrance to me and it was enough to inspire a fresh post on a thought.

The Stillroom tea shop at Diamond Antiques & Gifts is located at 311 E. Sixth Avenue in the riverside borough of Tarentum.

Open Tuesday through Sunday from 10-5

Closed Monday’s to dust and restock the booths.