Speaking of which, another smell memory I associate with the beloved country cottage of my childhood is the smell of kerosene lamps. We always had those on hand because power failures were likely when there were thunderstorms. I don’t know how long they lasted but being way out in the country it might have been a while. We had a wood-burning stove and an icebox so it wasn’t much of a hardship as long as we had light.
Whenever I’m at an airport, the smell of jet fuel always reminds me of our old country cottage and the kerosene lamps we always had on hand. I know that today there are all kinds of fancy lamp oils, but back then our kerosene lamps were just practical essentials and Dad always kept a large can of kerosene on hand.