Life of Riley: RLC No. 04 | Olive Hill Skies Candle

Olive Hill, Tennessee is filled with memories for me: fishing in my grandparents' pond, kids diving off of the arch bridge, cake walks at the old high school, sprawling pastures filled with cattle, the huge candy case inside H.O. Smith and Sons' country store and Betty Lou’s bologna and cheese sandwiches that cost 25¢. People like Miss Bertie Smith handed out books to kids so we could be smarter adults, Myrtle Dowdy and Evelyn Bowling walked almost every evening, making the rounds and saying hi to the folks in the community, Junior Harville, who didn't say much, but was always there ready to lend a hand if someone needed it, Bud Ricketts would give you a good cussing and then offer you a ride in the same breath, my grandma - Bobbie - helped hold the elections at the firehall, and my grandpa - his name was Papaw aka Joe Harrison - hired pretty much every young boy in the neighborhood, at some point, to help him in his hay field. They all contributed to the community that is Olive Hill.

When I sat down to create the scent for the Olive Hill Skies candle, it was a struggle. How could I encapsulate all of that into one scent? How could I make something that my mama and uncle - who have lived there their entire lives - would love? How could I get the exact right scent? It took months. I smelled about 200 combinations of fragrances, trying to get it just right. The end result is reminiscent of the morning dew on my Papaw’s hay fields, with wild clover and a hint of the blackberry bushes along the edges of the field. When I was a kid, I would lay on the top of the truck, filled with hay, and look up at the sky, dreaming of my adult life in the big city. This is as close to the smell as I could put in a jar. I was a horrible farmer’s son, but I tried. As I aged, I saw the beauty of home: the pace, the solitude, the ease. I hope Olive Hill Skies can help transport you to a happy place, like it does for me.