pause

I had not a teensy tiny amount of anxiety while luxuriating with my friend Joan in Maggie Valley and then attempting to learn a few rudiments of shape note singing with the brilliant music camp up in rural North Carolina: What next? 

I fog myself up with a lack of clarity or when desires clash with otherwise well-meaning shoulds. It's time to go back. "I don't wanna!!!!!!!!" Crinkle crunch hmmm. Kick shuffle grumble. Breathe. 

In a delicious sweep of surprise I was invited back to Susan & Klaus's in Roswell, Georgia.... to let things settle. To rest. To gather perspective. And so I am here, grateful, resting, laughing and this weekend in particular, cat-sitting while my friends are off on a Kentucky cave camping adventure. Kelsey, Nova, Fiona and Skye are special-needs felines from Susan's prior work at a vet clinic. Kelsey is the Grande Dame, gentle and sweet; Nova is the needy, limping vocalist with a deformed front paw, which renders her incapable of swiping back at Fiona, who has a seizure disorder and to whom I am giving meds twice a day; Skye looks like an otherworldly space mop and a smaller 2nd cousin to an English Sheepdog with a Charlie Chaplin moustache. She tends to hide under the bed until I start brushing Kelsey. Then she thinks about coming out.

So after bidding farewell to some of my new musical buddies at Camp DoReMi, I pointed my car south and drove 258 miles. I'm in mid-mundane: Regular 12-Step meetings of both persuasions (friends of Bill and Lois), my continued market research (we will not talk about the current precious metals correction), a few jogs at the local park, dusting off my cooking skills for my generous hosts, and attending to the needs of my 2003 Honda Civic. Yesterday I had 4 new Michelin "Destiny" tires put on in a stunning display of warding off a 70 mph catastrophe. At nearly 60K miles it's time. Today I get a wheel alignment and oil change. I have driven 4,729 miles and spent $440.50 (roughly) on gasoline. 

The return journey is still unfolding. I leave here Tuesday for St. Mary's in Sewanee, Tennessee. After 2-3 days there.... well, stay tuned. I'm breathing and praying.

The photo is from Bat Cave, NC, outside of Asheville. I uploaded it because it's cute.