this 'n that

a few things that I find appealing:

that fresh out of the wrapper, new sponge wetness

stepping on sand near the edge of the water at low tide & the look of the sand when my weight displaces the water immediately surrounding my foot

katydids & praying mantises & stick bugs

dental hygienist appointments

listening to the littles carry on conversations

rediscovering favorite music from my childhood that I had forgotten about in the chaos of everyday life

imagining everything I drive past turning into cartoon or mosaic

imagining brilliant color where there is none

the sound of a breeze in the woods

the pinkish "color" of gasoline seen through the little window in the hose while it's being pumped from tanker to in-ground tank

the sound of gas station tank lids being lifted & dropped on the pavement for the tanks to be "sticked" late at night/early in the morning

the cloud of mud & muck & algae that dissipates when river rocks are moved looking for crawfish
and the smell that goes with it. And the feel of the teeniest fish biting on my ankles in the process.

finding the smallest of small seashells -amazing that something soooooooo tiny lives in an expansive ocean

wooden matches

memories of smells:
-the gas smell from old time kitchen stovetops that had to be lit with said wooden matches
-my mom's old lily of the valley perfume
-school paste & tempera paints
-that rosin-y smell in gym class
-my dad's old Aqua Velva
-Blue Jeans cologne from the 70's
-wet pine needles on the forest floor
-axle grease, motor oil, gasoline vapors
-fresh cut hay
-waking to Sunday morning breakfast cooking in my mom's kitchen
-fresh mimeographed paper -and it's accompanying warmth