We’ve turned the corner into summer, at least by my reckoning. The trees are fully in leaf, and the Carolina Silverbell is in bloom. We still have some flame azalea, and the laurel has been beginning to bloom for a week or so. I haven’t seen any of the native rhododendron beginning to bloom yet. Temperatures have been around 80 on the deck in late afternoon, and we’ve had rain off and on for the past week.
The primary election is May 20. Early voting is in progress now. As I’ve said many times, as far as Fannin County is concerned, the Republican primary is essentially the election, as it is almost impossible for a Democrat to be elected here. I suppose there is a chance, as it is not a presidential election year, but the odds are very slim. So if you want to have a say in how Fannin County is run, you have to vote in the Republican primary.
May 20 is also the vote to allow Sunday sales in the City of Blue Ridge. This is the only vote taking place in the City, and the voting is at City Hall. If you are a resident of Blue Ridge, you may want to express your opinion on this important issuer. I think I’m for it, because if we had it, more of our good restaurants would be open on Sunday. In any case, it will be very interesting to see how it turns out.
Arts in the Park is May 24th and 25th.
For my email newsletter, I wrote a little piece on the trail store at Neel’s Gap. A little while later, one of my readers emailed me to let me know that he read that Winton Porter had sold the store to a young couple who worked for him. I wish both Winton and the new owners luck. It’s a great thing to have in our area.