Be like the bird that, passing on her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings.

~ Victor Hugo

Some frozen mornings, morning sun sparkles through windowpane ice – like lace – as I pull on thick wool socks and pet River’s soft noggin at the same time. It’s hard not to find warmth in that moment, despite the clutches of winter all around. There’s not much better than a dog nudging your legs, tail wagging, wanting a morning love-in, and diamond-lace sparkles captured against hundred-year-old glass.

Every day, there is something to find of nature’s beauty, far away from the din and shouting of the boiling pot of a maddened world. Emerald moss, icicle sculptures dancing from waterfalls, a red amaryllis blooming in a blue pot, waggling fingers of daffodil leaves poking up. Spring is promising she’s there under frozen earth.

Sometimes we forget to ‘see’ the simple things, to inhale and treasure every bit of the time we’re given. Last Saturday, on a bitter January day, most of us in Saluda lost power, some for a few hours, some for many hours into the night.

Used to be, people didn’t get anxious over loss of electrical devices. No phone? No TV? You just bundled up and hunkered down with family members under the same roof, a bonding experience, so to speak. Put a puzzle together, make a fire. Root around for candles, flashlights, kerosene lamps, and make the best of it.

Now we can’t bear being alone with ourselves. We HAVE to have access to cell phones, instant gratification, and we’re addicted to our devices. If we can get in the car and go somewhere to connect, we take off in a hurry. We’ve forgotten how to connect inside our homes, weather a rough spot, or appreciate quiet. Maybe the loss of something we take for granted is an eye-opening ‘gift’ in some ways. Along with ice-laced windows, red petals, and a tail wag.

Saluda Welcome Table at Saluda Methodist Church is every Tuesday from 5:30-6:45 p.m.

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.

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. Contact SCLT at 828-749-1560 or visit www.saludasclt.org. 

The Saluda Community Singers will perform a winter concert on Jan. 19, 7 p.m., at Saluda Presbyterian Church.

Saluda Center community potluck and bingo night is Jan. 29, 6 p.m.

The Saluda Historic Depot will be open this January on Friday and Saturday each week. For more information, visit saludahistoricdepot.com.

Calling all artists: the Saluda Business Association invites you to enter the 15th annual juried Saluda Arts Festival on May 19, 2018, the deadline for entry is mid-March. Visit saluda.com to link to the arts festival page.

Pearson’s Falls is closed through January.

Saluda Sympathy goes to the family of Eli Cagle, grandson of Margaret Pace Cagle.

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, dear readers, for reading this column. You can contact me at bbardos@gmail.com, 828-749-1153, or bonniebardosart.com.