The Sounds of a Bygone Era
A palette of sound colored my world
It’s amazing how a particular smell or sound can bring back a flood of memories. The whiff of a certain perfume or shampoo can remind me of someone from my past. The smell of beer immediately makes me think of the tavern my grandparents owned where I spent nearly every Sunday afternoon when I was growing up. Whenever I catch the scent of freshly mowed grass, I am immediately transported back to the early 1960s when I would “help” my dad mow the lawn. If I smell fried chicken, images of my mom cooking come to mind so vividly that I can almost reach out and touch her and taste the chicken she is making.
Sounds, however, present a problem for me. Unlike the smells of earlier times, the sounds have all but disappeared along with the people and the things that made them. They’re gone and they’re not coming back. Sadly, the feelings and memories those sounds evoke in me are also gone.
Sounds inside our house
The house I grew up in was a busy place. With six children ranging in age from newborn to young adult, how could it have been otherwise? There was always someone coming or going, conversations being had, meals being prepared, or the noise of children playing.
