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grin ‘n’ bare it waters earlier that spring. It was the refreshing aroma of the river’s Oh, for an onomatopoeia related to smells. These words are trickle over aging oaks that had fallen prey to a gnawing widespread for their intended use regarding sounds, but the current on the off-side of that flow. It was concept as it pertains to smells is somethe occasional breath of honeysuckle what limited. wafting on a morning breeze. It was the You know that word, onomatopoeia. smell of excitement and tranquility and Perhaps you recall it from a long-ago expectation. It was the smell of peace. English or literature or writing class. And there are many other sensory sigFormed from two Greek words — onnals from my seven decades of growing oma, which means name, and poiein, and processing and filing away. Some of which means to make — onomatopoeia these courted a singular sense; others is basically a word that, when used in Water and woods combine to provide a wide assortment of aromas. came through combinations of two or speaking or writing, mimics the sound more. The green, stinging smell of sage being described: bang, clang, splash, from downslope, this seeping through swoosh. Clever devices for adding spice nostrils begging additional oxygen in the to communication, these words with the High Country. The odiferous stimulation of hard-to-pronounce designation are. an autumn wood, fresh from a pre-dawn It is reasonable to conclude that any splattering of cool rain. The drone of or all five senses can often be related a small-farm tractor, its turning-plow and play a role in recall. Something we releasing from captivity those rejuvenattaste may trigger memory of something ing aromas of freshly disturbed dirt. we saw, and so on. It was such an occurThe fluffed feel and clean fragrance of rence that spurred the thought for this Slough water has a pungent but pleasant odor. It is one sure to maintain a hold in memory. hand-picked cotton bathed in sunshine column. Just recently, a cardinal singing and piled high on a ragged wagon. is what I heard, but the smell of a specific setting from childhood And there was my mom’s rattling about the kitchen and her came to mind. It is in the description of this smell that I badly soft humming that always permeated the secret period between need a proper and handy onomatopoeia. sleep and waking and that scent of biscuits baking before a day My dad and I were paddling a battered wooden boat up a of farm chores that hold a permanent place inside memory. These section of the Pearl River, this section generally known as the Old sounded and smelled like security. Like home. Straight. Actually, my dad was paddling; I was piddling. Impeding more than assisting I would guess, but my dad was gracious. I heard a bird. I had definitely heard this sound countless times before, but the urge to know what it was had never pricked me. “Red bird,” he said when I asked. Obviously, the cardinal, but it was red bird to him — all his life. And as influential as that identification was, it was the smell of the Old Straight that clung tenaciously by Tony Kinton to my remembering. It is still there, more than 60 years from that paddling, piddling sunrise river trip. Tony Kinton has been an active outdoors writer for 30 years. He lives How do I describe that smell? Pungent, but certainly not unin Carthage and is a Central Electric member. Visit www.tonykinton.com for more information. pleasant. It was decaying leaves and slough mud drying from high
JULY 2020 | TODAY 11
