it will wind but make no knots
On the way over to the Smoky Mountains, my weekend away from campus revelries, my caravan stopped at a cafeteria restaurant in a shopping mall. My grandparents and great uncle/aunt had picked me up and knew the place from a previous round. The food was good, the selection process of cafeteria food confusing, the chairs on rolling casters, and a group nearby of near-retirement ladies who were taking Polaroids of each other at there appearing-reunion. It was, for me, an experience of quirks that I greatly enjoyed. I specifically enjoyed how you were expected to get your food - without any hint of the price of your choice, you just picked out what you wanted without reference to a certain spending barrier, let’s ignore that credit card issue. I thought it was neat.
The Smokies were chilled and just as smokey (foggy) as ever. I was able to find my cove in one of the cabins to get some work done, but only enjoy to satisfy that inner drive without removing myself from the relaxing reunion atmosphere.
Part of that relaxing was meeting a little one named Lily. Most of what came out of her mouth was “Wyan!” and “pitchures!” when I was nearby. She even demanded a kiss when I departed today. Melts your heart. Of stone. But it melted it.
I returned to campus today to take part in my hall’s annual Thanksgiving dinner, a kind-of-a-big-deal affair. It was delicious, delicious. People devoured the many cookies I had stolen away from the reunion as my share of baking for the dinner. I really loved the collarded greens, which may have been my first collarded experience ever.
One more week of slaving away in a slave environment before I can relax for a full week, slaving away in a remote and removed coffeeshop. Cheers to that.