They say that our sense of smell has the strongest ability to evoke long-distant memories, but sound can’t be far behind.

Today’s trash pick-up day and as I’m sitting here in my home-office the ultrasonic squeal of the garbage truck’s brakes takes me back to waiting for the school bus, lost in a book, when the sharp bright sound of the bus’s overtaxed brakes is the first cue that it’s time to dog-ear the page, get up from my Indian-style repose atop my backpack on the sidewalk, and climb aboard for the hour’s ride to the fourth grade.