Shel Graves' Sensorium

Taste: moscato - thick figgy dessert wine   Sight: bird nest in a winter tree; wispy clouds in the winter sky lit by winter sun; Forte Chocolates , sparkling painted truffle hearts   Sound: a shop vac; "Do we want to just look on the dark side? Do we want to wallow in the mire? Do we want to feel the world's against us? Do we? Yes we do!" — "Do We? We Do," Beck Hansen Song Reader   Touch: walking in high heels   Smell: a curry-baked kitchen Extra: water instead of stone, a mature acceptance — to be elated in the moment, at the glory of now, while at the same time experiencing intense, deep pangs of sadness over something outside of one's control Grateful for: the onset of spring; toilets - "...42 percent of the world's population lives without a toilet at home." — Poor Economics by Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee and Esther Duflo

Ease in the reader = blood, sweat and tears in the writer. Literally, in this case. This is an effortless, breeze of a read that tells the story of the author's arduous physical journey on the Pacific Crest Trail (she hiked a great deal of California and across all of Oregon) and her mental trek over the loss of her mother. It is not an ornate or lyrical book, but it is well told and thoughtful. The point of view is atypical of outdoorsy nonfiction. This is not an authoritative hiker-to-hiker book, a mildly humorous adventure tale, or an explanation of the Pacific Crest Trail as told by an avid outdoorsman, Eagle Scout, or gutsy broad. It's the story of a troubled woman in her 20s with a messy life on an ill-advised trip for which she is grossly unprepared. If Strayed had written the book immediately after finishing the hike, it may not have been worth reading. What makes it valuable is the reflection author Cheryl Strayed has done since the journey and the painstak...

Taste: kung pao tofu with peanuts Sight: black branches, blue sky   Sound: "Now we're doing medicine!"; "The joy of a lifetime...!" T ouch: misting rain fall Smell: lilies; overripe bananas Extra: "Every act of love is a work of peace, no matter how small." -- Mother Teresa   Grateful for: time well-spent with my husband, walking to work, walking downtown, walking to volunteer, walking with a friend; book clubs