Shel Graves' Sensorium

Taste: boiled Cameo apple, boiled banana, boiled Yukon Gold potatoes; watery foods Sight: red, pink and orange waves rolling, an ocean at sunrise: the waves crested and fluffy as the manes of white lions Sound: the dogs know the snap of the laptop closing Touch: a finger swipe on smooth screen Smell: honey skin Extra: The Blink Comparator - a machine used by Clyde Tombaugh to examine the discovery images of Pluto Grateful for: time; dreams; favorite places, favorite meals; time to read; time to dream; gifts of time with a loved one

Taste: A delightful experimental dinner artichoke lemon-herbed bean pate micro greens radish pommelo and cara cara orange seared fennel watercress pomegranate and beet in a spiced orange blossom dressing roasted leek sauce and asparagus blood orange coulis hazelnut cheesecake Sight: huge raviolis and asparagus on plate; fine fog misty morning; a crying woman on crutches Sound: 80s hits playlist; velcro Touch: a soft tissue Smell: teriyaki; roasted honey; a burnt wound Extra: a large warehouse, teaching automechanics and looking up Grateful for: breath; sleep; A perfect day Up early writing with a silver pot of coffee Dogs and cat close at hand helping Read a good book Visit to a farm sanctuary Tasted a new wine and chocolate Out of doors in the sun and blue sky Took Trooper for a walk Nap Quality time with husband Dinner out dancing Said hello to friends

Taste: Sangiovese, sanguis Jovis , the blood of the Roman God Jove/Jupiter, grapes grown in Italy Tuscany, Campania, Umbria, Apennines Sight: greebling; the steam rises up; the cranes along the port; a wire fenced in walking trail Sound: crunch; wheeze Touch: cat's paw Smell: something burning-an open wound Grateful for: breath Extra: "Resistance and change often begin in art and very often in our art: the art of words." — Ursula K. Le Guin, 4:34 Ursula K. Le Guin accepts the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters at the 65th National Book Awards on November 19, 2014.

Why it springs to mind: Relevant thoughts about how we view aging and how we treat the aged in our society. In this story, young people protest the existence of old people in an assisted living facility for taking up resources. Not far from the callous viewpoint of people sometimes expressed in the national news. Where read: The last story in  Stone Mattress: Nine Tales   (2014) a collection by Margaret Atwood Summary: Wilma and her boyfriend Tobias escape an assisted living facility, Ambrosia Manor, that has come under attack by protestors carrying signs that say "Time to Go" and "Our Turn" who think the old people are just taking up space and resources. Memorable: the delightful use of Charles Bonnet Syndrome as a character trait for Wilma Quotes:  "We have to be kind to one another in here, she tells herself. We're all we have left."   "According to Tobias, women hang around longer because they're less capable of indignation and...

Taste: broccoli and red pepper Sight: darkness; SuperBowl by candlelight Sound: ballads and falsetto Touch: nibbling Smell: burning wax Extra: celebrating animals, confronting cruelty ; army of the kind, align values and actions Grateful for: electricity