Saturn seems habitual,
 The way it rages in the sky
 When we’re not looking. On this note, the trees still sing
 To me, and I long for this 
Mottled world.  Patterns
 Of the lamplight on this leather,
The sun, listening.
My brother, my sister ,
I was born to tell you certain
 Things, even if no one
 Really listens.  Give it back
 To me, as the bird takes up
 The whole sky, ruined with
 Nightfall.  If I can remember
 The words in the storm,
 I will be well enough to sit 
Here with you a little while.

~ Noelle Kocot,
“On Being An Artist”
Out on the front porch, sipping hot coffee in my favorite brown mug lined with bright turquoise inside, I watch the morning mist soften, tender green leaves sparkle in sun. Paintings I’ve been working on keep me company: I like to work on the porch most mornings if the weather allows, the fish pond quietly trickling as River dog snoozes in the warmth. Overhead, porch eaves drip with rivers of green wisteria and it’s a beautiful day; especially since I think I can maybe, just maybe put off mowing another day.
Up high with resident wasp nests, there’s my little brown bat tucked up tight beside a nest: furled up. This is the first time I’ve seen Batman this spring – my heart gladdens, and I give thanks my little friend made it through winter. I had wondered over and over if we would make it—and here we are! Grateful is my middle name when I see him.
Twenty years ago, there was a large colony of over 200 bats under the shutters of this old house: summer evenings meant a parade of bats swooping into the sky: it was entertainment to go out and watch them dance into the twilight.
Studying them unobtrusively with curious wonder over the years, I found bats are excellent mothers, nursing their young, sheltering the babies close—I could spy on them under the shutters from certain vantage points. Bats talk to one another: chirping, cheeping. They move their roosting spots, according to season from north to south. They like bat houses and know what those are for, as well as liking old wood shutters. Only once did I have to remove one from upstairs in the house, a soft towel worked: and I just gently put him under a bush, reminding him that free lodging doesn’t mean inside.
There’s a leader that comes out first, then others follow. Their backs are soft as velvet. Sadly, bat populations are dwindling, like the honeybee. Looking up at my little furry Batman, I promise him: he’s safe here, welcome to all the bugs he can eat. I was born to tell you certain things…
​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 welcome; donations accepted.
Saluda Tailgate Market is open every Friday from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at the city parking lot off Main St.
Saluda Community Land Trust can help you utilize dying or dead hemlocks by getting logs made into fence rails, etc., and will appreciate your volunteering or donations. ‘Walks in the Woods’ have begun, and are listed on the SCLT website. Visit saludaclt.org for more info or call 828-749-1560.
Thank you to all the volunteers who made our Saluda Arts Festival a huge success! This town is gifted with many people who care deeply, and work tirelessly on such events.
Saluda Small Town Main St. monthly meetings are the third Thursday of the month, 9 a.m., Saluda Library.
The next Top of the Grade Concert is May 23 with Phil and Gaye Johnson, at the new Ella Grace Mintz Stage (located at McCreery Park).
There’ll be a community potluck and bingo, Saluda Center, May 26 at 6 p.m.
A Memorial Day Celebration will be held May 27, 2 p.m. at Veterans’ Memorial Park.
Happy 10th Anniversary to the Salamander shop!
Happy May Birthday to Amy Copeland, Corinne Gerwe, Chris Anderson, Mark Jackson, Cary Pace, Lisa Hipp, Trevor Young, Jemme Latell, Paul Marion, Jesse Thomas, Margaret Sease, Elizabeth Baldwin, Chad Baldwin, Julie Ryan, and Lynn Cass. Please add your name to the list!
Thank you dear readers, for reading this column!  As ever, the goal is to make you feel like you’re enjoying a front porch visit and small town life in a friendly little mountain town called Saluda. You can contact me at bbardos@gmail.com; or 749-1153, visit my website at bonniebardos.com for more writing and art, or find me on facebook.