I am sitting at my good friends Mahesh and Mukta's house in Murphy, North Carolina. I arrived yesterday afternoon after a fabulous drive from New England over to I-81 through Virgina and then south and due west to Murphy. There was some alarm over an impending ice storm that was supposed to hit 81 at exactly the same time I was traveling on it but either it didn't happen I came in through the window. In any event, my drive was relatively painless with some extended periods of gratitude and bliss and lots of great music. Some of the highlights were Silvia Nakkach, Jai Uttal, and Tito la Rosa. There was lots more too but right now I am smelling delicious food cooking- kale and butternut squash and I am distracted. Mahesh can turn any ordinary vegetable into amazing Indian food! Yesterday when I arrived there was a pile of savory pancakes made from chickpea flour with grilled onions in them waiting for me- so delicious.

Not only that, but I walked into the house and one of my favorite songs by Tom Rush was playing. Not just that it's one of my favorites by Tom Rush- but I would say that if I had a top ten list of my favorite songs of all time, this would be on it. Feeling like I'm starting this trip in a good groove!

2.24.16
A very good groove- it's a been a week since I wrote that, maybe longer- I have been so busy I never got back to this!