“We resolved to scale the blue wall which bound the western horizon… In the spaces of thought are the reaches of land and water, where men go and come. The landscape lies far and fair within, and the deepest thinker is the farthest travelled.” ~ Henry David Thoreau, “Excursions”

There are times when you pat yourself on the back for eating healthy, but let me tell you, dear reader, the road to food-poisoning hell is paved with lettuce.

A couple weeks ago, a friend and I had dinner at a Hendersonville restaurant. A nice crisp salad for starters.

Within 24 hours, I was getting cold chills and wondering if winter’s flu was coming for a return visit. Within 36 hours, a well-beaten path was trotted out from bedroom to bathroom.

It turned out to be food poisoning — not the flu. My friend was sick as well, and we narrowed the suspicious varmint down to the innocent-looking salad we’d dug into like hungry rabbits.

Like the flu, this has been a great diet plan, but not exactly what anyone would have in mind. All I can say is lettuce beware of those sneaky salads…   

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

• Saluda Tail Gate Market is open every Friday from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the city parking lot off Main Street. Offerings include fresh vegetables, meat, fruit, honey, baked items, plants and much more.

• The Saluda Center community potluck and bingo night is Monday, May 28, at 6 p.m. Bring a favorite dish to share with others.

• Saluda Living in Place is offering free blood pressure and diabetes risk screenings on the third Tuesday of each month at Saluda United Methodist Church’s Wesley Cottage, 132 Greenville St. SLIP will have a free breakfast to all Saluda veterans at Saluda Fire Department at 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 6. Mark your calendar for “Let Food Be Your Medicine”, a talk by Dr. Lisa Broyles on Wednesday, June 13, at 1 p.m. Pre-diabetes screening will be available at 12:30 p.m. and after the presentation.

• Donations to help support Saluda Historic Depot can be sent to P.O. Box 990, Saluda, NC 28773 or HistoricSaluda.org website. Saluda Train Tales are held the third Friday each month April through October.

• Learn about Saluda Community Land Trust by visiting saludaclt.org or calling 828-749-1560. The next “Walk in the Woods” is Sunday, June 3, to the Old Homeplace, meet at Saluda Library at 2 p.m. to carpool. For more information on walks, contact Chuck Hearon at 828-817-0364 or chearon@skyrunner.net.

• It’s not too late to purchase an engraved brick paver to support building public restrooms at Pace Park on Main Street. Contact Catherine Ross at 828-749-3534 or carnc@charter.net for information or visit city hall for a form.

• Saluda Tidbits: Back in 1995, things were starting to get rolling on a library for Saluda — the town did not have one. The Saluda Merchants’ Association was organized (later changed to Saluda Business Association); Allen and Betsy Burdett were seeking preservation of 432 acres to save a wild tract from subdividing or logging. Their effort succeeded.

• Saluda Get-Well goes to Roy Eargle, Mary Ann Asbill, Cissy Thompson, Rita Igoe, Ruth Anderson and Greaton Sellers.

• 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, Thelma Jones, Betsy Burdett and Melia Bradley. 

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.