“Little things seem nothing, but they give peace, like those meadow flowers which individually seem odorless but all together perfume the air.”

~ George Bernanos

 

Can you believe that March is here, coming in with a breath of sweet spring days, at least enough to tease us into longing for tender green sprinkled by colorful blooms. For the last few mornings, I carried a brimming cup of steaming coffee out to the front porch, sitting in a spill of delightfully warm sun in a soft old robe. Better than those Maxwell House moments if you ask me!

River sits close by, inhaling with dog-happiness every moment too, as we listen to birds twitter. His one eye doesn’t miss a thing, the rounded little bear ears perked. I’m sure I hear the grass growing, which I’ll be grumping and groaning about non-stop by June. Meanwhile, not much beats a front porch, a friendly worn-out robe to wrap up in, fresh good coffee and a dog—just sitting and thinking in morning sunshine, feeling life warming up all around.

Saluda Tidbits: The March 1915 Polk County News mentioned a good bit about Saluda (thanks to Mike McCue for sending online copies of the paper). Readers back then learned: Mrs. Sally motored to Asheville on a Friday, while W.C. Robertson looked after business in Campobello on Thursday. Judge L.C. Capps was making extensive improvements on his dwelling (which I believe might be currently my house built by the Capps family—it wishes Judge L.C. Capps would come back and improve a bit more, a hundred years later).

The Saluda Pharmacy building has been remodeled, making the store larger. The interior of the store has been repainted. Mr. Tanner had a stone coping built along the Greenville Street frontage of his summer home. The Carolina Home was contemplating installing a modern steam heating plant over the summer. There ‘has not been an idle man in Saluda’ for sometime.

The contractors are all busy with new improvements and the trimming of trees as a result of the ice storm has given all jobs, who cared for them. Someone spotted the first snake of the year down at Fish Top – a garter snake. On the front page: The Pennsylvania Battleship was launched from Newport News, Va. Ads for malaria tonic, tailored clothing, mentions of cows, a dog and pony show, Southern Railways, renegade Piutes captured in Utah. Mary A. Peck was principal at the school. Pace & Ward Old Original Meat Market was phone number 7 with quick free delivery.

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Saluda Welcome Table is every Tuesday with dinner served from 5:30 -7 p.m. in the fellowship hall of Saluda United Methodist Church. All are welcome; donations accepted.

Saluda Community Land Trust (SCLT) will benefit from your donations or time as a volunteer for their many community projects. Mark your calendar for the annual meeting with speaker and naturalist Doug Elliot scheduled on April 13. Litter pick-up for “Adopt-A-Highway” is March 14 (rain date March 21), 10 a.m. at Saluda Library parking lot. All supplies provided. The popular “Walks in the Woods” return in April on the first and third Sundays. Contact SCLT at 828-749-1560 or visit www.saludasclt.org.

Donations to help support Saluda Historic Depot can be sent to P.O. Box 990, Saluda, NC 28773 or on the HistoricSaluda.org website.

Happy March birthday to: Faye Chandler, Genell Jespersen, Charlene Pace, Valerie Mintz, Sheldon Mintz, Curtis Pace, Anita Odgen Moore, Charles Weinhagen, Kevin Kerr, Dorrie McKinnley, Catherine Ross, Jane Fox, Beverly Pickard, Monica Pace, Ken Justus, Elizabeth Justus, Arlene Klippel, Rachel Bradley, Chris Bradley, and Martha Stoney Anderson. Please add your birthday to the list!

Thank you dear readers, for reading this column. I love hearing from you! Whether you live here, or just wish you were here, the goal is to make you feel welcome and right at home in our friendly little mountain town called Saluda. You can contact me at bbardos@gmail.com, call 749-1153, visit bonniebardosart.com for more writing and art, or find me on Facebook.