The nervous system has a specific organ devoted to each of our five senses: Sight, Hearing, Taste, Smell, and Touch.
Can you hear a sparrow twittering outside, feel the softness of an Amish quilt, detect the fragrance of your favorite tea or brew of coffee? Three of your senses are having a field-day.
An aroma can catapult me back to the past. To my childhood. For instance, I still love the smell of mothballs; they remind me of my grandma’s attic in Litchfield County, CT. The core of her house was pre-revolutionary, a myriad of aromas. Unfortunately, the barn was later struck by lightning and burned.
My grandma’s home in Litchfield County, CT.
“I love the smell of coffee,” a man recently told me, “but I hate the taste.” True story. Are you the same way?
Tasting cinnamon toast like my mother made every day after school reminds me of her and fills me with peace. The benefits of chocolate could be a whole blog post.
Growing up, we had tea every day after school.
I have a keen sense of smell, but a dog’s nose is 1,000 to 10,000 times more capable than mine. I wonder what a dog living on an Amish farm smells. An embroidery of freshly baked bread, drying corn stalks, livestock odors, and manure. Can’t escape that. I don’t mind it. Do you?
And sounds? Hearing a horse’s clip-clopping transports me to Lancaster County, PA. The laughter of water dancing in a creek takes me to my parents’ summer cabin and the many hours fly-fishing on the Stillaguamish River with my father.
Amish Horse & Buggy in Lancaster County, PA. Is there a dog in that crate?
Is your main learning style visual? You’re in the majority. I keep framed photos around the house to remind me of fond memories, and my kids and grandkids, and statues by my mother, a sculptress, abound. As for the sense of touch, I’m happiest wearing comfy clothes with elastic waistbands and sleeping between sheets that have been washed a thousand times.
Do you believe some have a sixth sense, also known as extrasensory perception (ESP)? Or do you consider ESP nonsense?
Which sense do you rely on the most?
Leave a comment to enter this Amish-made spiced Potholder from Lancaster County, PA, and a Bigelow 8 Flavor Assortment Tea Bags, 64 ct. Plus a signed copy of one novel from the Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy! USA Only. (Sorry to my friends in Canada.) Winner has 3 days to respond.
Amish-made spiced Potholder from Lancaster County, PA, and Bigelow 8 Flavor Tea Assortment
Smell, my mom or gram’s baking a delicious pie or cookies hot out of the oven when I got home from school. Walking down to Gram’s and she had a hot apple pie coming out of the oven. That was always the BEST. Then they both taught me to bake.
I have to say visual also as I love photos that bring back sweet memories and I have notes on the fridge and elsewhere as a reminder – of my favorite scriptures and things to do!
Thank you for the chance to win the lovely potholder and tea!
Glenda
I love my photos too, Glenda! The good old days. Sigh. Also have notes everywhere, but they sometimes get overlooked. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
Oh, that sounds divine, Deb! How wonderful that they passed the legacy on to you. I’m sure your friends and family appreciate your baking skills. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
Sight.. I learn by reading, watching something done, on hands directions is me.
I do have certain smells that remind me of things.. bread baking, moth balls, a certain perfume.
the clip clop of a horse takes me back to childhood days. I enjoyed your post today & the memories 🙂
Thanks so much for writing and entering the giveaway, Deanna! When you said “hands-on directions” it made me think of myself. Reading the directions while doing is best for me. Good luck!
Kate
Apples bring me back to my Uncle’s apple orchard. Lilacs remind me of the old bush in the backyard of the house I grew up. Mowing grass back to my Grandparent. So many smells so many memories. Thank you for your post today.
Thanks for leaving your lovely comment, Melissa! Sounds as if you have many fond memories.
Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
would love to win.
That would be fun, Angela! Thanks for entering and good luck!
Kate
Sight. I would miss seeing all God creates, seeing my three granddaughters growing up etc.
It would be tragic to miss seeing your three granddaughters growing up, Rita! I trust you will not lose your eyesight for many a year. Thanks for writing and entering the giveaway!
Kate
The senses ground us in this world & yet transport us to other places.
Oh, I like the way you think, Susan! Beautifully written. Thanks for writing. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
I am so thankful for the gifts of our senses! I was just thinking about the sense of smell the other day while browsing in a store. I passed by the lotion displays and saw the original Jergens, I just had to grab the tester and smell it, takes me right back to my childhood! Best scent EVER!
Thanks for sharing your fun experience, Tracie! I can relate. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
I’m definitely a sight person!
People who learn by sight have a definite advantage in school and elsewhere, Kari! Plus, the world is a kaleidoscope of beautiful images to enjoy. Thanks for visiting my blog and entering the giveaway!
Kate
for just the calming smell as I hold the warm cup in my hands it has to be constant comment tea. but lately I have been drinking ginger tea I would love to win this wonderful prize
It seems a tea lover should win this giveaway, Sharon! Thanks for writing and good luck!
Kate
I torn between believing in ESP or is it just coincidence or just a lucky guess. If a person is continually knowing what is going to happen before it does,it is ESP. If it is random,it is coincidence or lucky guess.
I’ve heard of dogs or cats that were lost finding their way home 1000 miles away, Barb! They possess some kind of sense that goes beyond our five senses. ESP is an interesting subject. Christians might say it’s the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Thanks for entering the giveaway and good luck!
Kate
Smell…I still remember the smell going in my grandparents house and going in the backyard…Grapevine, picking them and smelling them…we weren’t allowed to eat them until we took them to the house. Grandmother had to see how many we picked, if it was enough to make jelly. But, she did give us a couple, seeing we did always pick enough for her to make the jelly.
Your childhood memories sound delightful, Kathy! What wonderful grandparents you had. Thanks for writing and entering the giveaway. Good luck!
Kate
I rely on the sense of sight the most. I can’t even imagine not being able to see the beauty of God’s creation! I can’t even imagine not being able to read!
I enjoyed all your photos on this post. Love the tea set and your Grandma’s home!
Blessings!
Judy B
Thanks so much, Judy! When in CT I often visit my grandma’s old home. The owner loves hearing about its history. The tea set belonged to my other grandma. I imagine we’d use audio books if our eyesight failed. But we’d never give up books! Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
Hearing first….gotta keep “tuned” into what the little peeps are doing in the other room, but smelling is next! Have a great day!
Hearing is such a necessity when caring for children, Nat! They probably wonder how it is you know what they’re doing. Hope you’re having a great day too! Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
thanks for giving us a chance to win these awesome gifts!
Thanks for visiting my blog and entering the giveaway, Wilma! Good luck!
I love your blog and all your wonderful posts. This was a good one!
Thank you very much for your encouraging words, Sonja! Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
I rely on my hearing. I can hear the sounds of the creatures that God blessed with us like beautiful birds that chirp in the morning to welcome us to a new day. I can hear when someone is upset by the tone in their voice and offer support to comfort them. Most of all I can hear the voice of God as He directs my path everyday to be His hands and feet.
Deana
Thank you for your lovely and inspirational comment, Deana! There are not enough listeners these days! Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
I don’t know if speech is a sense but I probably will loss the ability to talk , so I enjoy talking and hearing other people talk. thanks
I pray that you do not lose the ability to talk, Millie! Whenever I get laryngitis I find it so difficult to keep silent and listen to others only. Thanks for your comment and for entering the giveaway!
Kate
I think my site! To see all God’s creation. I know I would miss any if they were gone. I am bless and thankful I have them all. Awesome giveaway.
Blessings
Diana
I am blessed and thankful to have FB friends like you, Diana! Thanks for leaving your comment and entering the giveaway. Good luck!
Kate
Sound! The bubbling creek sooths, happy birds make my morning complete and wind chimes are like dessert!
Thanks for your charming comment, Virginia! Of course, now I want dessert … but will be content with the birds, which I also take delight in. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
Hello Kate! It was so neat walking down memory lane with you and learning a bit about your family. So sad about your Grandma’s barn burning down. Does your family still own her house?
The crate could be carrying chickens possibly?
I’m the same way with coffee about liking the smell and not the taste but I do enjoy tea a lot. Chocolate is also my favorite!
I think ESP is nonsense. God is all I need for my sense and in helping guide me through this world.
Playing cards or board game remind me of my dad because he and I would play together all the time.
Such an enjoyable blog to read! Jenny
jennydtipton at gmail dot com
I’m glad you enjoyed the blog post, Jenny! I wish someone from our family lived in my grandma’s house, so I could go stay there. But no such luck. It was very sad when her barn burned. My uncle’s barn was also struck by lightning and burned in NY, but fortunately his herd and horses got out in time. Possibly what some people think is ESP is actually the Holy Spirit, who helps me out all the time. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
I must say your comments made me think – I have not read the Lancaster Trilogy (yet) (so many books so little time). I learn so much reading so I would have to say that is first, but then I learn so much listening and observing people and their actions and interactions with others. I think that is why I really enjoy the Amish novels – in our society where people are beating and raping infants and selling their children for drugs and all kinds of craziness – the more I think about life the more I think they have the right idea. Thank you for your enjoyable reading and food for thought.
Thanks for visiting my blog and entering the giveaway, Connie! I hope you get a chance to read one of my books from the Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy soon. Right now the e-books are drastically reduced, and Forever Amish paperback is on sale at Amazon. Listening and observing are skills many people lack. I agree, the world and its people seem crazy. Sometimes I take an news fast. Good luck in the contest!
Kate
I know I mostly depend on my sight, but I love it when smells invite a memory!
Nicely put, Lisa! They do invite a memory. Thanks for leaving a comment and entering the giveaway! Good luck!
Kate
I love to leave the cares of today and calm myself in a good amish book. Love the Amish so much great people.
I also love to leave my cares behind and read a good Amish book, Sue! Reading about the Amish resets my brain to a calmer pace. Thanks for writing an entering the giveaway!
Kate
I do think a person can have ESP. I don’t have it but I have a keen sense of smell. I can smell things other family members can’t! Thanks for the opportunity to win!
I’ve heard that women have a keener sense of smell than men, Brenda! I think that’s true, but haven’t researched the subject. I have also been told stories of people knowing when a loved one has died or his been in an accident. ESP or the Holy Spirit? Thanks for leaving a comment and entering the giveaway!
Kate
i would say i am a visual gal. would love to win this. thanks
If you’re a visual gal you most likely enjoy wearing nice clothes and looking good, Valerie! We use all of our senses, but I’ve heard most are visual first. Thanks for entering the giveaway and good luck!
Kate
I’m almost totally sight, show me I have it. ESP, may not be right on, but I do have an inner feeling that I get and I always go with my gut feeling.
When I get a gut feeling I pay heed, Sparkle! It’s paid off. Thanks for entering the giveaway and good luck!
Kate
The smell of brewing tea and freshly made cookies that my grandmother would make was such a “sensational” aroma. Thanks for the chance to win. Have a blessed day.
Thanks for sharing your sensational memory with me, Deborah! Of course, now I want a cookie and tea. Well, better yet would be to see my grandma. Good luck in the giveaway!
A nice cup of tea and a good book…….perfect. Thanks Kate for this awesome giveaway. Blessings
You can’t go wrong with a nice cup of tea and a good book, Myrtle! Blessings to you and good luck!
Kate
I like reading about the Amish and learning about how they live,thank you for sharing about them.
I’m so happy to hear you’re reading about the Amish and learning how they live, Barbara! They are so fascinating. I highly recommend Donald B. Kraybill’s non-fiction books if you’re really serious in finding the truth. Thanks for visiting my blog and entering the giveaway!
Kate
I would have to say visual. To see all the beautiful colors of nature……flowers, trees, birds, rainbows, all of the Lords beautiful creations.
Your eyes are taking in a fantastic array of God’s creations, Karen! Thanks for entering the giveaway and good luck!
Kate
I’m often reminded of my Grandmother when I smell certain things. Pond’s cold cream, homemade cookies, hot roasted cashews from the dime store. These scents bring back special memories of a very important person responsible for making me into the strong, self-reliant woman I am today.
So great to hear you speak of your grandmother in such positive terms, Amy! Sounds as though she was a strong and self-reliant woman too. Thank you for commenting and entering the giveaway!
Kate
I think sight, smell and sound are the 3 senses that remind of my childhood. I do believe in ESP. My mom definitely had it and also a sister. I grew up with my mom knowing things that I just accepted because it always happened. I would love to win. Thanks for the chance.
Your mother sounds like a fascinating woman, Linda! Your sister too. Thanks for leaving your intriguing comment and entering the giveaway!
Kate
i am very visual. Especially love color. Colors affect my mood. I would much rather read a book than listen to one!
Sight & Smell are both triggers for me, of days gone by. I LOVE horses, and so therefore have always wanted to ride in an Amish buggy, like my grandparents and great grandparents traveled! I grew up on a farm and always had a pony or a horse to ride. Thinking about them, I can still SMELL them! ;o)
We lost our 2 horses finally, of old age, about 30-32 years after they were born. I MISS THEM!
Love your books and would LOVE to win your PA. Patchwork book!
Thanks for the opportunity to enter, and Blessings to you.
Me too, Nancy, although a man told me recently he only listens to books! Did not sound fun. I’ve heard colors can affect a person’s mood and wonder if wearing pastels to bed at night helps me relax. I really feel sorry for people who are colorblind, but know several who are and make do in black, white, and gray. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
Thanks for a chance to win,love your books
Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment, Martha! Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
Mmy sister and I were just talking yesterday about smells we remembered. As a child. I used to love the smells in my grandmas rose garden. She also chewed chewing gum a lot called “juicey fruit”. She had this old chiffirobe and there was a door on one side at the top that was a hat box. She always kept her purses in there and it always smelled like her chewing gum. For years after she died you could open that door and still smell “juicey fruit” chewing gum…
Stopped at an Amish store yesterday in Rowletts Ky. and bought some of their bread and donuts, which I know not to do, ha ha…but oh the smells of all that stuff being fixed in there was heavenly……appreciate the chance to win your book, teas and amish potholder.
Also have you tried the homemade amish goat soap? Got more yesterday, love the stuff
What a cute story, Judy! Sure, I recall juicy fruit gum and wouldn’t mind a bit if I smelled it right now. A fun reminder of your grandma, and also the heavenly aroma of her rose garden. Thanks for leaving your comment and entering the giveaway. Good luck!
Kate
I am a very visual person. Whether its for learning something new or when working on my sewing and floral projects. I do believe in having a “sixth sense”. I get very strong feelings that something is going to happen and nine times out of ten, it happens. I have learned to rely on it, since its rarely wrong. Thanks for offering such a lovely give away.
Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving your comment, Melissa! I’ve learned to trust my sixth sense too. That’s how I found my lost prescription sunglasses at the bottom of our garbage bag 10 minutes before the garbage man came a couple days ago. Phew. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
I used to love riding in my dad’s old pickup and I can still smell the same things to this day! I am also a hands on person since I was in a bad accident. A good book, a hot cup of tea and cookies warm from the oven.
A Chevy or a Ford, Sandy? The men I know who drove old pickups could be very particular, which I find endearing. A good book, a hot cup of tea and warm cookies sounds just about perfect. Thanks for leaving a comment and entering the giveaway!
Kate
I would have to say visual and smells. Certain things make me think
of my dear Mom and G-Mom. Cardinals were Mom’s fave bird
and now mine. Smelling Honeysuckle always makes me think
of Moma (G-Mom) among other things. Thank you for the
chance to win this
Dear memories of Mom and Moma, Patti! I also adore cardinals, their beauty and their song. And I passed some honeysuckle’s today on my walk and wished I have them in my garden. Thanks for visiting my blog and entering the giveaway!
Kate
It would be such a pleasure to win ,thank you for this chance. Books are my only way of going any place outside of my apt. they let me live in other peoples enjoyment. Oh I go out to the little store across the street and at least three times a week to the library to get Amish stories. either wise I am alone, but books give me such enjoyment.
Wonderful that books give you so much enjoyment, Karen! There are actually people who don’t like to read in favor of TV or video games. Three cheers for our libraries! Thank you for visiting my blog and entering the giveaway! Good luck!
Kate
When I walked home from school in the fall in the little town that I grew up in with big trees on every lane how the leaves in many colors looked so pretty falling and when my feet crushed them when I stepped on them they gave off a fragrance you would never forget kind of musty and spicy I think. Then if it was Fridays you would smell fish s frying for everyone all ways ate a fish fry on fridays!!!! Those were the days. I surely would like to smell those smells today. Have a wonderful day.
Thanks for your comment, Meredith! You did a lovely job describing the sights, sound, and aromas of fallen leaves. And of fish on Fridays. Hope you’ve enjoyed a wonderful day. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
would love to win!
this entire gift and thread reminds me of my great grandparents farm in MO which was sold in the late 70s. It broke my heart that the farm we had in our family for 150 years was gone, but the memories and smells linger still. I adored the farm, the tales, and the beautiful lil mysteries I knew were hidden in every nook and cranny of that home..and marvel still that she had a marble pastry board built into her kitchen! They had the first electricity in the county and the first internal plumbing also! Love those memories! Ty for this giveaway and for bringing all these beloved memories to mind.
I remember being at my Grandparents house. All the wonderful food she made from scratch. Going into her orchard picking cherries, apples so she could make pies from them. Those kind of things bring memories to when when I bake them at home now. Also the pictures of family that have pasted are so wonderful to remember things you did with them…