Shel Graves' Sensorium

Taste: Cabernet Franc Sound: Charlotte Cardin (Puppy, Daddy Meaningless, Confetti); Julia Kent, Canadian cellist and composer; Poppy Ackroyd, British composer Smell: orange patchouli Sight: the barred owl in the tree across the street Touch: fleece bat pajamas Intellect, ideas, and dreams: wisdom, beauty, passion  Grateful for: Sherry and her writing

Taste: rice, butter, pepper, salt  Sound: garbage trucks; purring, dog exhales, sighs  Smell: cat litter Sight:  prancing, tail flags Touch: fur Intellect, ideas, and dreams: Gahzeba! Grateful for: Sam

Taste: kale stack; garden fresh tomatoes and cucumber  Sound: her snoring; seagull calls  Smell: sea air; massage oil  Sight: the California Coast; blue seas, golden beaches  Touch: the windy road down to the coast  Intellect, ideas, and dreams:  Stanford Inn by the Sea; dogs on the Washington State ferries; Morning Glory Cafe, Eugene Grateful for: time with Sam; poetry

Taste: sweet potato Sound: doughnut, bee, watermelon Smell: green grass on the dog’s ears; new carpet smell Sight: peonies, roses, Cavaliers in art  Touch: bellies; pounding pavement; intuitive dance  Intellect, ideas, and dreams: solarpunk  Grateful for: solarpunk

Continuing with a song a day: In March I listened to some fiddle music and Celtic songs; revisited a favorite modern song in Kangaroo Time; listened to a song popular in 1941, When That Man is Dead and Gone; listened to some experimental folk music including The Hu and Heilung; discovered some new to me artists, Nadini Blossom and harpist Nadia Birkenstock; and listened to some global music from Armenia to Eqypt.  Some standout songs: Laughing Girl, Jenna Reid When That Man is Dead and Gone, Lizzy and the Triggerman Kangaroo Time , Weli The Bells of the Big Belltower of Kiev - pechersk Lavra The Bird of a Thousand Voices , Tigran Hamasyan I really love Nadia Birkenstock's music and videos of her playing harp outdoors .

During the social distancing days of pandemic, I became obsessed with Shetland . I followed their tourism organization, read The Ponies at the Edge of the World and Shetland folk tales, and dreamt of standing on those wild shores. The uncertainty of these days seems similar to me, so I was delighted to find that Shetland.org has curated a list of Shetland Happy Tunes , which is so perfect for my listening project.  I have especially been enjoying Herkja Until We Become the Change and Laughing Girl by Jenna Reid. I have also been finding in my explorations what seems to me to be a new genre of modern music which incorporates traditional languages and older instruments and with videos that often feature the musicians performing outdoors in wild spaces. Bands from different cultures like Otyken , Russian-Siberian, and Wardruna, Norwegian. It’s like the opposite of industrial music. I love it.  I’ve also revisited some favorite instruments cello and harp. I love Zoe Keating C...