five-sense Friday (office edition)

Last Friday I was far from computers, as we drove north to Prince Albert National Park to explore the forest and lakes only a few hours north of us. I saw a mama deer and spotted fawn (photos may follow), hiked over a canoe portage trail, ate cheese sandwiches and peaches on a beach, and swatted a good many flies away.

That day is a far cry from this one, as I am holed up in my office, with its ancient heavy desk and tall window. On this first week of occupying my work space, I've been....

seeing: new colleagues, all friendly; the date-stamp at the bottom of my office window: 1968 an appropriate year for the glass of one interested in contemporary literature and theory; the self-assured old houses along University Drive, with their mature landscaping and packed-full bookcases in front rooms and thick electrical wires strung high over the sidewalk so that car engine block heaters can be plugged into tree-trunk sockets

feeling: the dry soil of a spider plant I have inherited for my office, waiting for water; the unfamiliar contours of my new desk chair, and its back-and-forth rock as I read; the soreness of muscles and feet getting used to longer walks and different shoes

hearing: the new sounds of the air system in the building; the laughter of coworkers up and down the wing, including one who's been bringing three little girls (ages 4, 5, and 6) all week for swim lessons at the campus pool

tasting: leftover teriyaki veggies and rice noodles for lunches; delicious meals with hospitable new friends (homemade farmers' sausages, air-cured organic venison steaks, fresh rolls and garden peas and corn, pie and ice cream and cherries)

smelling: the good fresh air of such a green space; that peculiar and distinctive scent of my 1940s-era Royal typewriter; vanilla Earl Grey and peppermint lip balm