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sensing in the dark

marian.bechtel's picture

As I am a very visual person and most of my site sits (plus my usual interactions with nature) are very sight-based, I decided to sit outside at night in the dark (on the Batten porch because still a little jittery from the recent robbery in Batten, I don't want to walk down in the woods by myself at night...silly feeling, but temporary) and focus on all my senses besides sight. To make things more interesting, I was taking notes and writing things I observed down in a notebook as I sat, but because it was so dark I couldn't see what I was writing the entire time, thus my notes are a little messy and extra wild. So, here are my observations as written in my notes:

dog barking in the distance

creek babbles

cold air fills my nostrils

car wooshes past

I smell nothing...but it's not really nothing...what does nature smell like?

airplane zooms overhead

found a leaf and tasted it - tastes like romantic memories

three cars pass in opposite directions

feeling the wind, so gentle you'd hardly notice it

can't even see what I'm writing - must trust my hand in the dark

some deep resonant sound in the distance...?

no crickets or cicadas singing

nearby window opens - hear friends talking in their room

air chills my body

butt cold on concrete wall

feet dangle in the air over the edge

creek keeps chattering on

are those crickets or is that my imagination? what sounds are real?

wind kisses my forehead, gently sweeps away a few stray hairs from my face

now the gentle wind subtly switches direction

pushing pine cones out of the way to rest my head - crusty rustling of pine cones

now back and feet cold on the concrete

the sounds are repeating themselves

kick over my water bottle accidentally - crash interrupts the stillness of the night