Face Cream and Memories

The face cream I use at night has a scent that reminds me of my Aunt's house.

I don't know why. Perhaps she used the same kind, or for some other reasons I have that smell associated with her and her house. If I close my eyes, I can almost picture myself there. It was a great house, a California Ranch style, on a about an acre of land.

My Aunt loved to garden, and so it was always very beautiful. For a number of years both she and my Uncle as well, were into roses, and had a couple hundred rose bushes. I can remember being there during the summers, and there would always be fresh roses in the house every day.

I would say I spent a good deal of time there, considering we lived about 1000 miles away. Many summers were spent swimming in the pool in the back yard, and playing with my two cousins. I remember playing barbies in the hallway, and spending Christmas' there as well. I remember the 'Angel' tree that she had in her living room and the one year my mom and she took all the angels off the tree and counted them.....for some reason I believe they counted over 750. She loved angels.

As I got older, my Aunt would have projects for us to earn money, which was awesome as a teenager, and great for me,(perhaps not as much so for my cousins), as it always seems easier to do work for someone who is not your parent, and in a place that is not your own home. Why is that, I wonder.

I haven't been there in many years, and they have done some extensive remodeling, so I know it won't be exactly the same the next time I am there. The pool in the back yard is gone, replaced with what I hear is a beautiful guest house. But in some ways I think it will be the same.

I have such good childhood and adolescent memories of there, no only of just the house, but of the people. I had so much fun with my cousins growing up. I wish that I would have stayed closer to them over the years, as I am am only child, they probably would be the closest thing I would have to sisters. We do stay somewhat in touch....one is in the Bay Area in California, and the other back in D.C. I am hoping that this summer we will all be able to get together for a little family reunion of sorts.

It's funny how in those years of your late teens and early twenties, when the world has opened up to you and you find you can make your own decisions about anything at any time, that the things that matter most in life somehow take a back seat, and now I find myself eagerly trying to get back to those roots of happiness.

I hope that sometime in the near future I can get down to visit my Aunt, and once again be in the house that held so many good memories of my childhood.

Thanks for stopping by.