In North Carolina we are emerging from winter and embracing the promise of spring. The trees surrounding our home are furred with buds ready to burst open and we are getting a few tantalizing days of warm, sunny weather interspersed with cooler temperatures.The change in the seasons seems like a good time to reflect on our progress in settling into a new community, establishing new routines, and learning new rhythms.
In some ways, it has been easy to slip into familiar habits in this new place. We visit the excellent farmers’ market across the street from our place every Saturday that we are in town, and have discovered the vendors we most enjoy supporting. We’ve been rewarded for our diligence by being recognized as “regulars” and building a bit of a relationship with those growers, which is reminiscent of being recognized as “locals” at the tourist-dominated businesses on St. George Island. We take long walks on the excellent multi-use greenway that runs behind our building several times each week, replicating the bike path walks we enjoyed on SGI.
On the other hand, we are still experimenting with attending a lot of events on a one-off basis just to see what they are like. We have yet to commit to season tickets for anything, including sports, music, theater, or lecture series, and plan to continue our strategy of sampling things that seem interesting. We’re comfortable taking our time developing the blueprint for Retirement 2.0. In the interim, we are luxuriating in having a wide variety of options to choose from in our area, while we test our tolerance for both winter chill and summer humidity. Experiencing all four seasons in roughly equal measure has been a nice change from Florida, and provides a constant sense of progress. So without further ado, let’s get to some photos!
Fall Colors and Winter Wonderland
The peak of fall colors in the latter half of October was brief but spectacular, and I’m glad we scheduled a few local “field trips” for the sole purpose of soaking in the autumnal displays. One of our best activities was the Salem Lake hike, a 7-mile loop around a municipal lake that feels like a remote natural area despite being inside the city limits and a mere 4.5 miles from our home. But just driving around town running errands provided plenty of opportunities to see street trees and home landscapes cloaked in vivid colors. The devastation in Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene meant that we did not participate in any leaf-looking in the mountains, but we hope to do so in 2025.
Approaching the end of the year, winter-loving people in Winston frequently mentioned their disappointment that there had been no snow the prior two winters. That streak was broken this winter by three different weather systems that brought us meaningful snow: one in early December, one in January, and a surprise storm in late February. From what we observed, the city was well-prepared and well-equipped to handle it, so the stereotype of a Southern city paralyzed by a small amount of snow did not apply here. Of course, we mostly just stayed cozy at home… except when we walked through the historic district across the street the morning after the January storm to enjoy the magical scene.
Another highlight of the winter season was purchasing our best-ever live Christmas tree from a parking lot that normally hosts a coffee shop based out of an Airstream. The family-owned and operated business brings trees down from their mountain farm about 90 miles west, selling from mid-November until the year’s stock is gone, and I’m pretty sure our tree was harvested just a few days before we purchased it. It was so healthy that it dropped its first needle after being in the house for three weeks! This was a welcome surprise after years of mostly-dead trees purchased in Florida that left the house completely blanketed in brown, desiccated needles.
Some of the winter temperatures were challenging for us. Several stretches of bitter cold, where temperatures didn’t get above freezing for several days, kept us inside the house and facing down some serious cabin fever. On the other hand, our January 1 First Day Hike at Salem Lake featured a high of 52 degrees and brilliantly sunny skies, as seen in the pic in the top of the post. That’s the sort of winter weather we wholeheartedly endorse.
The Re-Education of a Master Gardener
Long-time readers of the blog will know that we have visited scores of botanical gardens around the country, and it did not take me long to start volunteering at Reynolda Gardens. Reynolda House was the family home of RJ and Katherine Reynolds, and the 134-acre property includes the historic home (now a high quality museum of American art), formal gardens, a newly-refurbished conservatory, woodland trails, a wildflower meadow, wetlands, and more. Living in a care-free condo while spending one morning a week pulling weeds, pruning, and exploring the mysteries of vegetable gardening at Reynolda is an appealing balance.
To become a more competent volunteer, and to find out about new (to me) concepts like “bulbs” and “deciduous trees,” I also joined the Master Gardener program through our local Extension office. This is my second go-round — I earned the MG certification in Palm Beach County over a decade ago — and I knew the program would offer a comprehensive and research-based introduction to horticulture in North Carolina. Thanks to a very robust culture of small-scale agriculture, North Carolina has a large and well-supported system of Extension offices in every county. In our county, the Master Gardener program involves about 50 hours of classroom instruction in two semesters (October-December and January-March) and 40 hours of volunteer service for initial certification, plus ongoing requirements for continuing education and volunteer hours to remain certified. It was a little challenging to get re-acclimated to the structure of weekly class sessions and even (gasp!) homework, but I’m happy to report that I successfully completed the course work and graduated last week. Now I’m looking forward to having another hands-on gardening outlet by volunteering at the county-owned Arboretum at Tanglewood Park and the demonstration gardens at the Extension office.
Fiddling While Rome Burns?
It seems a little strange to be posting about the mundane activities of our daily life while our country is descending into chaos around us. Becoming incandescent with rage upon learning of some fresh horror is pretty much a daily occurrence for me. As certified science geeks, we are heartbroken by the dismemberment of our world-leading research ecosystem and flabbergasted that “pro-disease” is a viable political movement. I muse with bitterness that I’m glad that the Greatest Generation is mostly dead, because I know the many people in my family who served (on both sides of the war!) would have been apoplectic to see the White House taken over by anti-democratic Nazi sympathizers. But a wise friend pointed out that chaos, discord, and demoralization is part of the strategy to destroy the America I love, and simply staying the course is its own form of resistance. So we are just continuing to do what we can to bolster the things we care most about: patronizing locally-owned businesses, supporting higher education, promoting public goods like parks, and engaging with the arts.
Next Up: Spring!
Congrats on the Master Gardener recertification. I know you will put it to good use.
January certainly was the coldest I can recall since we moved to VA, but I agree it was nice to see some real snow. And Spring will be marvelous…much lovelier than Florida.
Keep on with your everyday acts of resistance. I agree that sometimes the best we can do is to be kind and “tend our gardens”.
Signs of spring are definitely appearing, and we are almost giddy about the blooming cherry trees, redbuds, and dogwoods along with the bulbs that are popping up. We are hoping for a spectacular show! Seeing the earth come back to life, spending time with friends, and also sitting on the patios of our favorites breweries and restaurants (the tastiest form of resistance), is cheering us up a lot.
Everything you said in your last paragraph mirrors what we’ve been feeling. I know that comes as no surprise to you guys, but I just want to say how much we value your friendship and are heartened by your commitment to supporting positive things in this time of upheaval and insanity. We’re doing the same and hoping that our small actions somehow make a difference. Ultimately, I believe that good will prevail. But holy hell, I hope it hurries up.
Your fall and winter photos are beautiful! Four seasons is fun, isn’t it? Except when it’s too cold for too long. I hear Florida is great in the winter, lol. It’s so cool that you completed your Master Gardner program. Lucky them to have you at Reynolda and other garden venues! We can’t wait to see you guys in a few days! Spring blooms, tacos, beer, and good conversation coming up. 🙂
It’s hard to remain upbeat when there’s a constant stream of increasingly disturbing news, but I know that you (and we) are doing the best you can. Like you, we are confident that America will return to the rule of law and restore useful things like food safety inspections and national park services, but the intervening period looks like a pretty rough ride. Like you said, having friends we can count on for moral support is a big part of what makes us think we can survive the hurricane.
We’re definitely looking forward to seeing you soon, especially since I think we’re really moving into full Spring mode here in Winston-Salem!
Having all the seasons is the best, though I have to admit I don’t miss the hard turns and really cold winters. Congrats on your Master Gardener certification. Watching and helping things grow is one of the most soothing and rewarding things on the planet, and you certainly have beautiful places in which to do that. I hope the rest of your Spring yields more great rewards!
While we had a few weeks this winter that were definitely chillier than we would like, overall it was not a significant percentage of the winter. We mostly just hated feeling like slugs when we refused to go to the gym (which is a three minute walk) because we couldn’t handle the thought of a three minute walk through frigid temperatures. Spring will cheer us up considerably, if we have any lingering gloominess. And now that I know so much more about NC horticulture, I think I’ll appreciate the wonder of spring even more.
While I appreciate the mild weather here, I really do miss having 4 seasons, especially winters with snow. We get lots of rain here, but none of the white stuff. Your photos are beautiful and make me quite envious. There’s just something special about being inside a warm house with a cup of tea or cocoa and watching the snow fall outside.
Not surprisingly, I agree with your sentiments about what’s happening in the U.S. There’s such a weird disconnect between everyone going about their days and living their normal lives while the U.S. government quickly and obviously backslides into autocracy. It is wildly outrageous of course, but what is most disappointing is watching every possible check and guardrail fall without a fight. Between nauseating levels of cowardice and shocking levels of greed, those that could stand up are failing to do so. I agree that eventually the ship will be righted, but how long that will take is anyone’s guess.
I think that winter weather is much easier to handle when viewed from inside with a hot beverage, exactly like you described. Being required to go outside or drive in snow/sleet is just a recipe for frustration, if you ask me, so we’re lucky to be able to enjoy just the nice parts!
The total capitulation by so many “leaders” to the ongoing destruction of the rule of law and the dismantling of the federal government is so disturbing. It is really disheartening to see that people in positions of power and influence can’t be bothered to have a spine, while so many regular people seem indifferent to things like maintaining our soft power in the world. The good news, I guess, is that there are also plenty of regular people doing what they can preserve America’s greatest virtues. In our neck of the woods there is visible support not only for our several institutions of higher learning but also for neighbors who are unfairly targeted by the current administration.