Chime out, thou little song of Spring,

Float in the blue skies ravishing.

Thy song-of-life a joy doth bring

That’s sweet, albeit fleeting.

Float on the Spring-winds e’en to my home:

And when thou to a rose shalt come

That hath begun to show her bloom,

Say, I send her greeting!

~ Sidney Lanier, Spring Greeting, 1860 

May brings rainbow cascades of garden roses blooming profusely in the yard, along with every unwanted vine twisting and rearing evil heads out of bushes, shrubs, flowerbeds. For two days straight this week, I waged war on weeds and those evil vines, burning a pile of them out in the back garden. After a few months, the wood ashes get donated to the roses or compost bin. Burning the enemy has a cathartic effect as you watch pest vines disappear in a blaze of glory. Yours, for the moment.

Dripping sweat, covered in sooty dirt and smelling to high heaven of smoke, I stood back and admired the day’s handiwork. It doesn’t pay to look too hard, because there’s one more vine sneaking up, another patch of weeds to pull. Hiding behind the back yard cherry tree, I discovered a wisteria trunk as thick as my forearm, tall as the cherry tree, creating havoc over treetops.

It took a while and effort to saw that monster off, but I won that battle. Wisteria roots notoriously run rampant everywhere, so it’s a short-lived victory. (If anyone has a remedy for wisteria, which is akin to the kudzu demon, let me know.) It’s like the uninvited guest who came to dinner and moved in. You just can’t get rid of either one!

Saluda Tailgate Market is now open on Fridays from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the city parking lot off Main Street. Offerings include local honey, produce, delicious baked goodies, plants and more. Many Saluda businesses are open later on Fridays, so plan on tailgating, shopping and enjoying a meal at our local restaurants.

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) benefits from your donations or time as a volunteer for their many community projects. “Walks in the Woods” are on the first and third Sundays each month. Free swimming lessons will be at Twin Lakes this summer. 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 online at HistoricSaluda.org. Saluda Train Tales are held on the third Friday each month, April through October. The next one is May 20 at 6:30 p.m. The depot is open Thursday through Sunday noon-4 p.m.

Saluda Art Legends – Past & Present is the new show at the depot. Seventeen Saluda artists are represented in an exhibit. Fifty percent of proceeds from sales go toward the purchase of the depot and creation of a heritage and train museum. Participating artists are: Joe Adams, Bonnie Bardos, Jim Carson, Judith Cheney, Mark Gardener, Marguerite Hankins, Charles Hearon, Bill Jameson, Anne Jameson, Sylvia Jones, Paul Koenen, Dale McEntire, Ray Pague, Beverly Pickard, Bill Ryan, Bunny Steffens and Johnny Waddill.

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

A Top of the Grade Concert will be May 13, 7-9 p.m. at McCreery Park.

Saluda Garden Club meets Monday, May 16 at 10 a.m. at Saluda Library.

All veterans are invited to a free breakfast May 20, 8-11 a.m. at Ward’s Grill.

In art news, the 13th annual Saluda Arts Festival is May 21 with art, music, food and fun all day in Saluda. Volunteers are needed. Shifts are two hours. If interested, contact Tangie Morgan at ctangie@rsnet.org or 828-777-9158.

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, Lynn Cass and Thelma Jones.

Saluda sympathy goes to the family of Anthony Roy Morgan.

Thank you, dear readers, for reading this column. It’s always a pleasure hearing from you! My goal is to make you feel like you’re having a front porch visit, enjoying a cool glass of tea, birds, flowers and life in a small town called Saluda. You can contact me at bbardos@gmail.com, 749-1153, visit my website bonniebardosart.com for more writing and art, or find me on Facebook.