Things are still terrible politically and economically, but that isn’t stopping the inevitable change of the seasons. We have really enjoyed seeing trees bursting into bloom as we stroll around the neighborhood, power-walk down the greenway, and drive around town.
I am particularly lucky to be able to enjoy the lovely surroundings of Reynolda Gardens when I volunteer there one morning on most weeks. While I do actually work pretty hard, there is always time to snap a quick phone pic of some nearby loveliness. See the wheelbarrow parked in the Cherry Allée in the pic below? That’s incontrovertible proof that I was working and not just enjoying the scenery!
One week this spring I even managed to find, charge, and actually use my “big” camera on a separate, non-volunteer day at Reynolda Gardens. These photos, including the one at the top of the post, are some of my favorites from that visit:
Transitions and New Beginnings
My rant in the final paragraph of my last post mentioned our support of higher education as one of our acts of resistance. For the last six years I’ve served on the Board of Visitors (basically, a donor advisory board) for the Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest, and I am currently the board chair. Serving on this board has been a marvelous, engaging experience, but this year was particularly pivotal because our fabulous dean of 10 years is retiring at the end of the fiscal year (June 30). As board chair, I spent a fair amount of time in recent months investigating suitable retirement gifts, preparing to honor our outgoing dean at his final meeting in the spring 2025 semester, and coordinating the celebration among 25 board members who are located all across the country. Spending time focused on creating a nice appreciation for a person I admire was exactly the balm I needed to find positives in troubled times. Do I get a “Be the Change….” T-shirt for my efforts?
I was also very fortunate to serve on the search committee for the new dean, and the committee worked hard in the fall 2024 semester to evaluate and interview a large slate of qualified candidates for the position. I am thrilled with the outcome of the search process, and am really looking forward to helping the next dean succeed in her new role.
Even More Nice Things
In keeping with the seasonal theme of nice things popping up, March and April have been filled with plenty of pleasant events. Our good friends Eric and Laurel (Raven and Chickadee) made a 5-day stop in Winston-Salem as they made their way back home after spending the winter in Florida. Their AirBnB was close to our place, and it was a real joy to share some of the delights of our new hometown with them. We also had some long-overdue lunch and breakfast meetups with some of my former faculty advisors who still live in the area and who I am fortunate to count as friends these days.
We have dipped a toe into the world of Community Supported Agriculture by purchasing a small, spring-only CSA share from one of our favorite vendors at nearby Cobblestone Farmers Market. For about $13 per week, our pals Jeremy and Angel at Purple Clay Farm are presenting us with a bag of 3-4 farm-fresh veggies each Saturday from late March through late May. So far our goodies have included beautiful heads of lettuce and bok choi along with generous bunches of kale, spinach, broccolini, red radishes, round white daikons, and rosemary.
I spent several days volunteering at the annual Youth Education Program sponsored by Extension at the Arboretum at Tanglewood Park, a large county park. On the days I worked, we hosted about 150 third-graders from local public schools and moved them around the gardens to different instructional stations staffed by master gardeners and/or extension agents. The lesson topics (seeds, soil, compost, and plant adaption) align with the state’s third grade plant science curriculum requirements. It was extremely rewarding to see the kids get excited about gardening (the carnivorous plants and composting worms were a hit!), and very fun to hear their offbeat comments and questions.
Next: I head overseas with my mother to celebrate a milestone birthday for her by touring the Scottish Highlands!
Spring, though often fickle, brings the most beautiful things and foreshadows even more that will delight us through the summer. Thanks for making the effort to drag out your big camera and show us all the pretty stuff you’re working on. Visits and good food, especially on nice days outdoors, are always the best. How fun that you got to help the kids get excited about gardening and growing. I wish I could hear their offbeat comments and questions –those must have been hilarious!
Pulling out my camera allowed me to discover that one of my two batteries no longer holds a charge, so now I have a replacement! Good thing I figured that out before trying to do more intensive shooting.
My favorite comment from a kid at Extension’s Youth Education event came in response to this question from instructors: “Why do carnivorous plants eat insects?” The instructor was looking for a response about plants adapting to a nutrient-poor environment. One girl confidently announced, “Because they are a healthy protein!” I mean, she’s not exactly wrong there! 🙂
You had me at “trees bursting into bloom,” but you lost me at “150 third graders.”
Ah well… I guess it’s the yin and the yang of life.
Those flowers are seriously stunning! And I love the idea of getting goody bags full of veggies every week. It’s good for providing inspiration in the kitchen. Way to take full advantage of the season in all possible ways!
I’m also jealous of your get togethers with Laurel and Eric. I’m sure it was wonderful to catch up and laugh and vent and chat about all the things old friends do!
Stay well and enjoy the well-deserved warmth!
I was somewhat hesitant to volunteer for an event full of third graders, but luckily we were able to select out of any direct instruction roles. I am perfectly capable of telling kids to “get in line and follow me,” especially since they had their teachers and other adult chaperones. I knew the cause was important – I am a big believer in nature-based field trips – but the days turned out to be more fun than I expected.
The rest of the spring experience has been, like fall, wonderful but somewhat fleeting. I’m glad I made the effort to take photos because those bulbs and cherry blossoms really don’t last as long as I would like. But now we’re on to warmth and sun, so that’s something.
You are right to be jealous of meet-ups with mutual friends. That sort of mutual support is vital to keeping us sane in difficult times, and it’s also a relief and a comfort to see “old” friends when so many of our contacts here are relatively “new” friends.
Wow, I thought Winston-Salem was gorgeous when we were there at the end of last month, but it’s even more beautiful and floriferous now!
As always, it was wonderful spending time with you guys over tasty meals, happy hour, and tours of your new home town. We enjoyed so much seeing the results of your volunteer efforts at Reynolda Gardens. They’re lucky to have you, and so is the library board at Wake Forest. Speaking of, I’m curious about what you decided was an appropriate retirement gift for the outgoing dean? I really need to know, lol. You definitely deserve a “Be the Change” t-shirt. And a “Make Good Trouble” t-shirt.
We think you made a great decision in moving to Winston. We love visiting you there! 😃 P.S. Come visit us soon!
We’re finding that spring is sort of like fall — it’s hard to predict “peak colors” and you can only be certain it’s arrived when it’s over. But it was still pretty nice when you visited, as you pointed out.
For our dean, the most valuable thing about our board is the friendships he formed with many members over the years, so my main project was contacting all the current and former members from the last 10 years and inviting them to (digitally) send messages for a retirement card, which then got printed up into a keepsake book for Tim. I used Kudoboard for this and it worked great! As a small personal gift, and to prepare him for excellent fly fishing in retirement, the current board also chipped in for a gift certificate to his favorite outfitter – Davidson River Outfitters in Pisgah Forest, not too far from you.
We agree with your assessment of Winston! It’s working out well for us. And we will definitely be spending time in the mountains this summer so we will be sure to let you know when….
Great work on the blog, and really fantastic to see that you’re doing so well. I was just telling a friend how we used to do crosswords together, from newspapers I would pilfer on my way to school, a five or so mile run. It got me thinking I should see what you’ve been up to. I live in Asheville, since 1994, but somehow have never taken the time to stop and smell the roses in WS. I hope your life is and has been extremely fulfilling.
What a blast from the past! It’s so nice to hear from you, and what a fun surprise to learn that you live so close. Asheville is a great town and it sounds like it suits you well. Definitely get in touch if you ever find yourself in Winston! I’d love to catch up. As you can see from the blog, I’ve been doing plenty of interesting things the last 7 years…