Shel Graves' Sensorium

Habitat: vole, darkness, evergreen, furred beings, viruses, microbiomes Taste: coffee, black Sound: Louise Erdrich Sight: landscapes, the river lands Touch: Tish's ear Smell: ground coffee Extra:  “What the world needs is people who have come alive.” —Laura Van Dernoot Lipskey, The Trauma Stewardship Institute A jolt of joy: Tish's soft eyes looking up at me Grateful for: coffee, immune systems, health

Habitat: approaching fall, smokey sky, cooling, rain, the corpse of a raccoon on the side of the freeway Taste: sourdough   bread, pretzel roll Sound: chime Sight: the body of a raccoon on the side of the freeway for days Touch: holding Lily, fifteen pounds Smell: cinnamon incense Extra: blessing roadkill A jolt of joy: speaking your mind Grateful for: moods, emotions, dreams, quiet mornings

Habitat: Lake Michigan, bird sanctuaries, dunes Taste: Chicago Dog, mustard, relish, pickles, poppyseed bun Sound: Light Asylum Sight: Lake Michigan, powerful, shining waters Touch: sand Smell: fresh air Extra: Patriarchy Blues by Rena Priest A jolt of joy: finding water, waterways Grateful for: fresh air

Habitat: bats, barn swallows, the stiff, prickly brown grass, freeway and cars, steep mountainsides, crows Taste: coffee Sound: rumbling cars, screeching cars Sight: cracks and crevasses Touch: black silk pajamas; silky fur Smell: cinnamon incense Extra: sadness, aging, travel; plant sentience A jolt of joy: a sleeping dog; finding a lost object Grateful for: teachers and dialog

Habitat: buildings on the hillside surrounded by lakes and forest; dandelions gone to seed; crustaceans, cephalopods; strong river, strong lake, movement power, otters, rhododendrons Taste: apricot, nectarine, corn, buckwheat Sound: waves; the coffee plunger like a helicopter; the cat purring Sight: rose petals; waves on the river, its power Touch: s oft fur, cat Smell: cardamon, rose Extra: a peculiar story, The Iguana A jolt of joy: curled up at my feet in the new bed; a beautiful cup Grateful for: friendships; reflections

Habitat: beavers and beaver homes, riverfront, flat land, ocean, marine, saltwater, freshwater, crabs, salmon, herons, frogs Taste: crisp snow peas; chewy shitake mushrooms Sound: crackle Sight: flocks of black birds, starlings Touch: matted fur Smell: fire Extra: a glimmer of care and calm A jolt of joy: Tish's head on my chest Grateful for: heat, lung, hands, and feet

Habitat: douglas fir, maple, starlings, slugs, snails, ants, spiders Taste: black beans Sound: calming music for dogs; hound baying; scratching Sight: sunrise; acorn art Touch: pillows Smell: burning wood skies;  Extra: leadership, a quality Grateful for: time for contemplation A jolt of joy: dance moves

Habitat: Marine West Coast Forest, Puget Lowlands, Georgia Depression, temperate forest, conifers; ferns, monkey tree; Douglas Fir; Ponderosa Pines; Salish Sea Taste: black bean chili Sound: thunder; shrill barking Sight: a paw reaches out from under the porch Touch: a paw Smell: cinnamon incense Extra: The Open Sanctuary Project, the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries Grateful for: learning and attention A jolt of joy: a deep breath

Habitat: sparrows and wrens, barn swallows, Nuttall's cottontail (rabbit) (Sylvilagus nuttallii),  Salish Sea, Coast Salish Peoples Taste: strawberries, blueberries Sound: sigh; snuffling Sight: a cottontail Touch: cool, round, soft, firm -- blueberry Smell: woodsmoke Extra: divina Grateful for: being together A jolt of joy: coming home

Habitat: dust, darkness, pebbles, granite, bats, owls, possums; neighbors close by on all sides yards of grass inbetween us, cars, bullfrogs, snow-capped mountains Taste: olives, warm tomatoes Sound: train horn; Lily barking, low woofs, bowwows Sight : rising dust Touch: sturdy; slipping; a sudden twist of wrist pain; washing paws Smell: pizza Extra: meditation; migrations; to be a stray Grateful for: rescue; strong legs A jolt of joy: dance

Habitat: snails and ants; mosquitos and orb-weavers; cool low clouds, 61 degrees,  Taste: arugula and strawberries Sound: whale song, orcas; purring Sight: terrestrial gastropods; Rowan, American mountain ash (Sorbus americana) Touch: dry grass, pavement; paw pads Smell: smoke Extra: Devotion of the Squirrel Grateful for: Mary Shelley, Lily, Sam, and Tish A jolt of joy: dance

Habitat: orb-weavers and filmy dome spiders; a patch of dandelions Taste: coffee bomb doughnuts and spicy black pepper; arugula leaves Sound: a squeaky wheelbarrow Sight: a stunning rosy and red streaked sky Touch: shavings and dust Smell: hay dust and urine soaked hay Extra: three goats Grateful for: rain; firefighters and disaster response teams A jolt of joy: patches of blue sky

Habitat: the Bolt Creek Fire, the red sun enshrouded by smoke, strands of spiderwebs, flocks of starlings, smoke, haze, coughing breaths  Taste: fresh corn Sound: chimes Sight: red sun, bright yellow corn, orange light and sky; spiderwebs glistening, catching the sunlight Touch: a tiny, three pound kitten climbs you; embodiment-holding hands Smell: smoke, garlic and spices, pig-friendly barbecue, all about the spices and sauce Extra: t he Bolt Creek Fire Grateful for: memory A jolt of joy: Sam's home

Habitat: smokey air, red sun, haze, still air Taste: weak coffee Sound: dogs' sniffing, snoring, snuffling, snoozing; cats purring and growling Sight: the red sun Touch: holding hands Smell: cinnamon incense Extra: Pig Friendly Picnic Grateful for: learning, openness A jolt of joy: dogs' greeting

Habitat: a large block of granite; American crows; sand, bricks, and rocks; cars, trains, boats; plains and mountains; the sun, the moon, the changing seasons Taste: almonds Sound : caw, songs, calls, and trills; horns Sight: a golden moon Touch: soft fur and prickly claws; kittens; soft licks in the palm of my hand Smell: mold and staleness, stagnation Extra: the state fair, the department of wildlife; ornithology Grateful for: Louie the pig A jolt of joy: she crawled into my lap and purred

Habitat: dandelions, purple clover, dry brown grass, crinkled brown fallen oak leaves, grey squirrels Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis); green acorns scattered on the sidewalk; an empty bag labeled Ruffles lime and jalapeno chips; an empty carton, a pint of Ben and Jerry's chocolate patterns in the bottom Taste: a pretzel roll, dill and garlic sauerkraut Sound: the national anthem blared over a tinny speaker Sight: squirrels jumping, running up trees, running high in the monkey tree Touch: soft, cat on lap Smell: coffee Extra: an opportunity; the commonly seen Eastern gray squirrel is a non-native species, the indigenous Western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) is a threatened species Grateful for: community A jolt of joy: a kitten

Habitat: a large human, a small canine, ivy, a pine tree, a cherry tree, grass, a wood shelter, a green room, pillows, books Taste:   course ground Italian dark roast coffee, creme brulee almond milk creamer Sound: clacket-y clack; soft sigh; swallowing Sight: toes in motion Touch: warmth in throat; soft ears, smooshiness Smell: fresh green, sweet -hand lotion Extra: Merlin Bird ID; BirdNET Grateful for: a beginning, gentleness, sweetness A jolt of joy: community, connection