25. Flavored Water

As summer approaches, the herb garden is overflowing with delicious flora, and the kitchen counter is overburdened with fresh berries and melons and peaches. I decided, rather on a whim, to cut up some strawberries fresh from the garden and put them in a glass of water. The results were delicious; the water was infused with the subtle acid-sweet sensation of the berries. Over the proceeding days, I tried a few other combinations, all to overwhelming success. A few were rather unusual (rosemary and raspberry, cucumber and blueberry), while some were more familiar (mint and strawberry). If you have never tried making flavored water before, I would definitely recommend it -- the results are almost guaranteed to be delicious.

22. Sunscreen

Am I the only one who loves the smell of sunscreen?

Anyone? Anyone?

 Bueller?

I think that sometimes smells create more poignant memories than your other senses. I can smell something and associate it with an event that happened 12, maybe 14 years ago. I remember the most random things; the sweaty stench of the gym where I did gymnastics when I was six, and the chemical smell of the cleaner used at the school I went to when I was ten. Now whenever catch a scent, it brings back memories, good and bad.

For me, the memories associated with sunscreen are almost exclusively positive. The pungent, coconutty aroma reminds me of sweltering road trips and sandy beaches; of building forts in the woods that surrounded our house; of our hands stained crimson from picking pound upon pound of dusty raspberries to make into jam; of the endless, pleasantly uneventful days.

In short, sunscreen reminds me of everything that makes summer so great.