“It is only logical that the pauperization of our soul and the soul of society coincide with the pauperization of the environment. One is the cause and the reflection of the other.”

~ Paolo Soleri

A soft pearl-gray morning greeted River and me as we moseyed out to the front porch for coffee earlier — a patch of palest blue promising sun later, then afternoon storms rodeoing in to shake things up again.

Our local phone repairman just drove away, River Dog barking — and me overjoyed that my phone and modem were back in order.

The repair guy, Johnny Crawford, has been in this old house many a time over the years, so there’s no need to tell him where the phone lines and modem are. He knows the drill.

All I want is things to work around here: no hunting wires while scratching my noggin wondering what goes where to what, plugging things in and wiggling them to see if that helps, no alien static sounds on devices, no burning smells or UFO lights.

However, when things are not working, and there are alien static sounds and UFO lights — there’s something comforting when you see someone kneeling on the floor, patiently navigating 1 million strange wires and plugs, and it’s NOT you.

I don’t know how he navigated that tangle of wires, but he did, and left smiling back to his work truck to fix up more desperate Saluda customers, especially after the lightning strikes we’d had.

Sometimes we take for granted those folks that get us fixed up with a smile. We’re quick to complain, but slow to praise.

Not me. Things are working around here again!

So, I used that nice clear-as-a-bell phone line to make a call to Johnny’s supervisor. Like a bird, I sang loud and clear praises without any alien static noise — except for River barking his praise as well (I might need that phone to order a large bag of dog food, right?).

When your phone’s a’working, things aren’t so bad after all.

• Saluda Welcome Table at Saluda Methodist Church is from 5:30-6:45 p.m. on Tuesdays.

• Saluda Tail Gate Market is from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Fridays.

• The 55th Annual Coon Dog Day is Saturday, July 7; parade starts at 11 a.m.

• Saluda Singles will have a potluck at Saluda Center at 5 p.m. Thursday, July 12.

• The next two Top of the Grade Concerts at McCreery Park will be Aug. 24 with O’Neal Township, and Sept. 7 with Sound Investments. Performances are from 7-9 p.m. at Ella Grace Mintz Stage; rain will move concerts to the pavilion.

• Art Notes: Several Saluda artists (Stoney Lamar, Dale McEntire, Mark Gardner, Bonnie Bardos and Shane Varnadore) along with other area artists will be featured at Upstairs Artspace, 49 S. Trade St., Tryon, through Aug. 3.

• Learn about Saluda Community Land Trust by visiting saludaclt.org or calling 828-749-1560. Twin Lakes has family swim days on Wednesdays this summer. The next Walk in the Woods is Sunday to the Missing 40 (meet at 2 p.m. Saluda library to carpool); contact Chuck Hearon for hike information at 828-817-0364 or chearon@skyrunner.net.

• Happy June Birthday to Nancy Barnett, Verne Dawson, Peggy Ellwood, Anna Jackson, Charlie Jackson, Amy Violet Ford, Terry Arrington, Julie Arrington, Susie Welsh Hearn, Jeremy Edwards, John Savage, Eleanor Morgan, Mary Lu Price, Sigi Hendrickson, Edna McKee, Lucinda Pittman, D.J. Gaskin, Susan Matthews and Lisa Duck.

Thank you for reading this column; as ever, the goal is to make you feel like you’re enjoying small town life in a friendly mountain town called Saluda. Feel free to contact me at bbardos@gmail.com, 828-749-1153, or visit bonniebardosart.com.