“…I listened to the earth-talk,
the root-wrangle,
the arguments of energy,
the dreams lying
just under the surface,
then rising,
becoming
at the last moment
flaring and luminous_
the patient parable
of every spring and hillside
year after difficult year.”

~ Mary Oliver, excerpt from “Trilliums”

The Ides of March and voting day dawned bright and sunny this week in Saluda. I walked across the street to the Saluda Fire Department to vote and was greeted at the front by folks I knew as I showed my driver’s license. No one was angry or fighting, I’m happy to say. There was no arguing or posturing. No one caused a ruckus in the parking lot, either.

Walking back home to a waiting River dog lying on the front walkway, wearing an “I VOTED” sticker on my gingham shirt, I wondered what our founding fathers would think of the three-ring circus elections have become. There seems to be little sanity involved, and that means all parties. Like playground bullies, the bunch of ’em jockey for the lead position. Truth and fiction get so mixed up that it’s impossible to trust anyone.

River nuzzled my ear to say he was all for the candidate who’d fork over the biggest dog food bags and ear rubs. If the phone rings one more time today, I’m handing it over to Mr. River, so he can discuss what he thinks about it all. Me, I just want to sit in peace and eat dinner without annoying robocalls intruding (they always pick dinner time to call, always!). Maybe mosey down the street on a golden spring evening to admire sweet purple violets piping up from bright green grass, trilliums unfurling in woodland, and wonder if maybe a lot more of us should do the same now and then.

Saluda Welcome Table is every Tuesday. Dinner is 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. Mark your calendar to bring the family for the annual meeting with speaker naturalist Doug Elliot scheduled on April 13, 6 p.m. at Saluda Center. The popular “Walks in the Woods” return in April on first and third Sundays. 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 on the HistoricSaluda.org website. Saluda Train Tales will feature Billy Shand remembering stories of the Carolina Special on March 18, 6:30 p.m.

All veterans are invited to a free breakfast at Ward’s Grill on March 19. Please bring a fellow vet.

Saluda Garden Club meets March 21 at 10 a.m. at Saluda Library.

Plan on bringing your little ones to the Easter Egg Hunt for children up to age 12 across from Memorial Park (empty lot on Irwin/Greenville), March 26, 2-4 p.m. Bring your own basket and a camera; the Easter Bunny will be hopping around! For information, call 828-749-3789.

The Saluda branch of Tree City USA meets at 5:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month at  Saluda Library.

Enjoy a community potluck and bingo night at Saluda Center, March 28, 6 p.m. All are welcome; bring along a favorite dish to share!

Happy March birthday to Faye Chandler, Genell Jespersen, Charlene Pace, Valerie Mintz, Sheldon Mintz, Curtis Pace, Anita Odgen Moore, Charles Weinhagen, Kevin Kerr, Dorrie McKinnley, Catherine Ross, Jane Fox, Beverly Pickard, Monica Pace, Ken Justus, Elizabeth Justus, Arlene Klippel, Rachel Bradley, Chris Bradley, and Martha Stoney Anderson. Please add your birthday to the list. No ages mentioned unless you’re under 2 or over 100!

Thank you dear readers, for reading this column. I love hearing from you! Whether you live here, or just wish you were here, the goal is to make you feel welcome and right at home in our friendly little mountain town called Saluda. You can email me at bbardos@gmail.com, call 749-1153, visit bonniebardosart.com for more writing and art, or find me on Facebook.