Tonight at sunset walking on the snowy road,

my shoes crunching on the frozen gravel, first

through the woods, then out into the open fields

past a couple of trailers and some pickup trucks, I stop

and look at the sky. Suddenly: orange, red, pink, blue,

green, purple, yellow, gray, all at once and everywhere.

I pause in this moment at the beginning of my old age

and I say a prayer of gratitude for getting to this evening

a prayer for being here, today, now, alive

in this life, in this evening, under this sky.

~ David Budbill, “Winter: Tonight: Sunset” 

White blankets of silent fog drift over mountain ridges this early January, ethereal dark branches stitched against the hem. I like these mysterious mornings, a cup of hot coffee steaming in my hands, watching time stand still.

Soon, snow is promised. Again, that peaceful whiteness begs us to slow, stop, watch. It softly calls us yet again at dusk, a winter sunset slipping low over the horizon.

There’s a peaceful, unspoken loveliness to white purity of fog and snow, those winter sunsets low in the sleeping trees, that we often forget in our way-too-busy lives. A whisper to just be in that moment of sheer grace, filled with gratitude under this sky.

There’s still time to order an engraved brick/paver for Pace Park in the alley by M.A. Pace Store. Drop off applications and payment to City Hall or mail to City of Saluda, 6 Main Street, Saluda, NC 28773. Proceeds will go toward building public restrooms. For information, contact Catherine Ross at 828-749-3534 or carnc@charter.net.

Saluda Welcome Table returns every Tuesday starting Jan. 10 at Saluda Methodist Church from 5:30-6:45 p.m.

Learn more about Saluda Community Land Trust (SCLT) by visiting saludaclt.org or calling 828-749-1560. Monthly meetings are the first Wednesday each month at 3 p.m. at Saluda Presbyterian Church.

The Saluda Women’s Club meets Jan. 10 at 10 a.m. at Saluda Presbyterian Church.

Social Singles of Saluda will have a potluck meal on January 12 at 5 p.m. This group is for men and women over the age of 40. Contact Anita Moore at 828-749-3335 for more information.

The Historic Saluda Committee meets Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. at Saluda Library.

Saluda Downtown Foundation meets on the second Tuesday of the month at Saluda Library.

Saluda Center Potluck and Bingo night is Jan. 30 at 6 p.m.

“Aging in Place – It’s In Your Future” will be presented by SLIP (Saluda Living In Place) at Saluda Center on Jan. 25. Registration is at 9:45 and the talk starts at 10 a.m. Dr. JoAnne Helppie will be the speaker. For information, contact Donna Carson at Saluda Center, 64 Greenville Street, at 749-9245.

Pearson’s Falls is closed through January.

Happy January Birthday to Nora Parks Anderson, Brandy Bradley, Alex Bardos, Carolyn Ashburn, Scott Kinard, Donna Bond, Greer Eargle, Wyatt Alan Pace, Irma Anderson, Paul Aaybe, Phyllis Arrington, Kenneth Justus, Cheryl Harbin, and Avery Lena Mintz. Please add your name to the list; no ages mentioned unless you’re under 2 or over 100!

Thank you for reading this column, dear readers. As ever, the goal is to make you feel like you’re enjoying small town life in a friendly little mountain town called Saluda. Feel free to contact me at bbardos@gmail.com or 749-1153. I always love hearing from you. Or visit bonniebardosart.com for more writing and art, or Facebook.