Nosy Interview: Diane Staudt

Diane in the Monsters of IC 1396, © Geert Barentsen & Jorick Vink, & The IPHAS Collection

Aunt Diane is the first of my relatives to appear on Nosy Girl, and we met when I was a little baby, before my memories begin.

What do you smell like?
I think I smell like clothes that should have been washed yesterday. I do laundry weekly and bathe daily but for some reason, I just don't think I smell particularly fresh. It's disturbing. My nose is oftentimes dry so I do as my doctor suggested and put a tiny amount of Vaseline on the lining. I suppose that could dull my sense of smell. In the summer I wear three different body powders at the same time so I probably smell like magnesium or aluminum something or other. Sometimes I smell like Degree deodorant. I wish I smelled like clay from throwing pottery. Or ink from using a letterpress. But, sadly, I don't do either, so don't. Smell like either. I also wish I smelled like Jenny Di Meo's absolute favorite perfume because I also love, and use, Origin's Ginger. But fragrances just don't seem to last very long on me. Very disappointing. Or maybe I'm so used to it I can't smell it. I hope that's the case. And, that I don't really smell like clothes that should have been washed yesterday.

What do you like to smell?
I don't know smells, but I know what I like. Ha. I like the smell of freshly cut grass. I know, it's a cliché favorite scent, but it reminds me of my dad. Spanish peanuts, while not a scent I'd choose to wear, also remind me of my dad. He'd buy them for me from one of those old red bubble-on-a-stand vending machines when he took me across the street to the grain elevator. And, just-turned dirt--I like that smell. Must be the farmer's daughter in me. I also like the smell of the green covering on walnuts, especially when you scratch it. And Ticonderoga #2 pencil shavings, not that I could tell what kind of pencil the shavings came from, but those are the best you know. Ha. The smell of the unglazed parts of Raku pots--a smoky, woodsy smell--also appeals to me. I like the smell of my mom's pot roast with carrots, potatoes, onions, and cabbage. Salivating. I also like the smell of my Aunt Elizabeth's Arroz con Pollo. Both remind me of my mom and home. Gin smells good to me. Especially Hendrick's, which is infused with rose and cucumber. Salivating again. I like the smell of cucumber even without the gin. It's hard to find plain old cucumber scented candles. Candle makers usually mix it up with melon. Just like beverage makers who add strawberry to everything. Why is that?! My old Levi jacket smells good to me. It's had a lot of play and brings back many memories, stored deep in the denim. Just-laundered cotton bedding smells wonderful. So does bleach. The Butcher's Wax I use on furniture smells good to me. And gasoline. And I like the smell of the stuff I use to clean my hands after a day of projects around the house, didi seven. It has kind of an industrial smell. Every Aveda product the stylist uses on my hair smells wonderful and very buyable. They're no fools, those Aveda people. And I love the smell of Emma, my dog, especially when she's wet. Puppy breath is wonderful, too--sweet and fresh. Dog breath, not so much. You just do not want to know why their breath smells the way it does. Trust me.