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“…here too

in the wet grass

half a shell

of a robin’s egg

shimmers

blue as a newborn star

fragile as a world.”

 

~ Maria Popova, excerpt from “Spell Against Indifference”

 

May skips and swings her lace skirts over emerald-green carpets lush with bloom, young doves waddling in for breakfast. Early morning, I’m out for a porch-time cup of coffee before backing up to the day. Off I head on errands, a return here and there (as one gets older, one changes the mind quicker). Pick up a few items on the grocery list, then head back to Saluda through back roads with apple orchards, roadside grasses and bright yellow mustard flowers painting the landscape. 

Unloading the car, I hear birds fussing in the front garden, so I peer at the bluebird house as I head in. It must be the day the fledglings are coaxed out, I think. Back out I go, squinting at the blue box—there’s something I can’t quite discern at the front entrance, maybe a bird stuck? The redbirds, bluebirds, and others are in a tizzy, but the crows aren’t telling me what’s going on. Picking my way through the garden, I climb up close enough to see black glossy coils flowing right into the house, the tell-tale tail outside. Oh no! 

Without hesitation, I’m pulling that tail and opening the front latch, just praying I’m not too late. All I find is an empty nest, a flickering forked tongue, and a stuffed black snake staring back at me. So, vexed at myself for leaving earlier, I dump the unwelcome, well-fed diner out, admonishing her to feast on all-you-can-eat mice instead. Straightening up the crime scene, it’s me who feels guilty—if I’d just gotten home 20 minutes earlier! Meanwhile, the bluebird parents are visibly distressed overhead, and I apologize over and over to them. 

It’s the circle of nature, this I know. The snake must eat, too, and this time, the birds lost out—such is the balance of nature. Later on, I put another round of sticky tape on the birdhouse post to dissuade future uninvited dinner guests. Let’s hope for another chance. 

• On May 16 at 7 p.m., Saluda Train Tales at Saluda Depot Museum will feature railroad enthusiast and memorabilia collector Bo Brown with “Reflections of a Southern Railroad Train Hostess.” Doors open at 6:30, and the event is free to the public; donations are welcome. 
• The Saluda Arts Festival will be held May 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with live music, food, children’s activities, and art.
• Saluda Community Land Trust’s next Walks in the Woods is on May 18 to Bell Park. Meet at the Saluda Library parking lot at 2 p.m. For information, contact the SCLT office at (828) 749-1560 or email info@saludaclt.org
• Saluda Tailgate Market is located near the tennis courts at Saluda School and runs each Friday from 4 to 6. 
• Community Table is every second Tuesday at Saluda Center from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Bring your own tableware to go green! 
• Free swim lessons will be available again this summer at Wilkes Twin Lakes, thanks to Polk County Community Foundation and Saluda Community Land Trust. These lessons are for the children of Polk County and those who reside in the Saluda zip code, 28773. Classes run from 9-5 Monday-Friday for six weeks in two sessions: July 7-August 10 and August 18-August 29. You may sign up for a full or partial program. For information or to register, email Brian Lilburn at twinlakesswim@gmail.com. Include the child’s name, age, experience, parent’s name, address, and email/contact information. 

Happy May Birthday to Amy Copeland, Corinne Gerwe, Chris Anderson, Mark Jackson, Cary Pace, Lisa Hipp, Trevor Young, Paul Marion, Jesse Thomas, Margaret Sease, Elizabeth Baldwin, Chad Baldwin, Lynn Cass, Thelma Jones, Betsy Burdett, Melia Bradley, Robin Kirby, Kevin Matthews, Susan Warrick, Robin Bradley, Stella Barnett, John Matson, and Dave LaFave.  

Feel free to contact me at bbardos@gmail.com, (828) 817-6765, P.O. Box 331, Saluda, NC 28773, Facebook, or visit bonniebardos.com