“This spring as it comes bursts up in bonfires green, Wild puffing of emerald trees, and flame-filled bushes…”

– from “The Enkindled Spring” by D.H. Lawrence

Welcome to early April Saluda news and notations!

To start your day off with a smile, recently I drove my middle age VW down the mountain to the Upstairs Artspace where I work on Thursdays and Fridays.

My daydreaming along the scenic 176 route was rudely interrupted by bursts of metallic grinding underneath the car. This was not good! So much for a bucolic drive, I thought.

Hobbling into Tryon, I crossed the railroad tracks, which made the grinding louder. Wheeling into in a parking space, the car and I both heaved a sigh of relief; then I gave the foreign auto guys in Landrum a distress call. After work, creeping slowly like a half-blind driver, we pulled up in the repair shop’s lot.

Within one minute, Michael had crawled underneath the car and wrestled out the culprit: a large wishbone-shaped branch had lodged underneath and become stuck in parts unknown. I don’t know who laughed the hardest, but they last saw me heading north, window down, shouting that the car sure sounded better! Thanks, guys.

It dawned on me that if it happened in less friendly areas, the car would have been in the shop for a week, and an astronomical repair bill presented. Honesty and kindness seem to be prevailing traits in these parts!

The Women’s Club of Saluda will feature Dr. Ben Pfingstag and “The Art of Lent” on Tuesday, April 12 at 10 a.m. in Saluda Library’s upstairs meeting room. Refreshments will be served in the Presbyterian Church fellowship hall afterward.

The Saluda Single Women United group meets April 14 at 6 p.m. for a potluck dinner and program at the Saluda Center.

Our Saluda 130th Anniversary committee will have an auction at Saluda Center to raise funds for “Keep the Celebration on Track” on April 23 starting at 10 a.m. Donations accepted; call 828-749-3789 for delivery information.

Saluda Fire and Rescue Auxiliary will have a yard sale fundraiser at Saluda Fire and Rescue on Greenville Street on Saturday, April 30. Donations are currently being accepted at the fire department.

Mark your calendar for the Historic Smith Hill tour of homes Saturday, June 4 from 1 – 5 p.m., as part of Saluda’s 130th Anniversary Celebration sponsored by the Saluda Historic Committee. This is a fundraiser for preservation projects. There will be six houses on the tour, within walking distance of each other. Tickets available at City Hall and Heartwood Gallery.

Happy April Birthday to: Dave Prudhomme, Kaye Vazquez, Cindy Keeter, Betty Anna Brown, Marion Fairey, Hope Pace, Diane Pace, Ruth Anderson and Bonnie Bardos. For my birthday, I’m inviting all of you to share a glass of wine at the Saluda Inn’s Wine Cellar on April 23 from 7 – 9 p.m.; the only present needed is your presence and a big hug!

Belated March birthday wishes to go to Anita Odgen Moore and Tonya Foster Jackson.

Thank you, dear readers out there in Bulletin land for reading this column! Keep in mind if you have something of note, feel free to contact me at bbardos@gmail.com; or 749-1153. You may also visit my website at bonniebardos.com.