Moonville Mae – Working from Home
Moonville Mae says Come Spring, Come!
I’m soooooooo ready for Spring! I know the temperature for much of this month has been 10 degrees below normal. Perilla said so. Rain for 7 consecutive days is more than normal too. Really, there is no normal. As they say, if you don’t like the weather just wait 5 minutes. But that’s not how it’s supposed to be in the sunny South, even in the winter.
Usually, by now there are Yellow Bells and Jonquils blooming everywhere, but not this year. Not even in Mt. Pleasant where I visit my daughter. March is less than a week away, and I have much to do inside and out. I started cleaning out in the house, but haven’t finished. I need to clean up last fall’s dead flowers outside, but haven’t started! I’m doomed. It won’t happen before March. So that means it won’t happen till next winter, probably.
The cats have been understandably depressed too. They have the whole garage to enjoy, and they haven’t wanted to leave it at all. No, not at all. The rain or the wind or the clouds have kept them in almost all winter. Usually, they spend most winter days lying on a cushion in the sun in my courtyard. Not this year! I probably could count the times I’ve seen one of them in a prone position in the courtyard on one hand.
So, what have I been doing? Reading and writing, of course. I’ll recommend a couple of books then. One was written by a local from Anderson, Kathryn Smith, about a South Carolina Low Country heiress who was a spy in WWll. Gertie is as fascinating as the Dutch Colonial mansion she lived in and preserved in Moncks Corner. Another good read in a compact history of the United States titled These Truths. It’s longer, but good for a review. One for the guys is by my favorite historical figure, Teddy Roosevelt, titled Forgotten Tales and Vanished Trails. These are stories of his hunting trips from over the world. As you see, my reading is different. So, be adventurous and try one – you might just like it. But I hope that spring will be here before you finish reading.
I’m counting on March to bring the robins and jonquils, and I’m excited about our book, Highway 25 in the Carolinas, coming out March 8th! Jim Scott and I have been working two years, and the time is finally here! All the profits go to the restoration of McCullough’s Cedarhurst, the 1812 plantation on US 25 near Princeton. Join us at one of the book signings listed below and enjoy an afternoon in the beautiful spring weather! I’m ready for the sun!
Highway 25 in the Carolinas book signing dates:
- Saturday, March 13, 11-2 – Pickwick Pharmacy, 3219 Augusta Road, Greenville
- Sunday, March 14, 1-5 – Cedar Falls Park Picnic Shelter, 201 Cedar Falls Road, Ft. Inn
- Saturday, March 20, 11-3 – Reedy Fork Church Picnic Shelter, 459 Reedy Fork Road, Greenville
- Sunday, March 21, 1-5 – Loretta C. Wood Park, 10200 Augusta Road, Pelzer
- Saturday, March 27, 9-2 – Belton Area Rummage and Craft Sale, Belton
- Travelers Rest History Museum parking lot is being scheduled.
Anne Peden, Phd.
Greenville County Historic Preservation Commission
Fork Shoals Historical Society
Piedmont Historical Preservation Society■
