Lenoir is a small community in Western North Carolina, a place that I have called home for the last seven years. This crisp cold day in the foothills was our first snow of the season. A gentle dusting of one inch was enough for us to relish in the delight of a snow fall. It might be the last snow of the season.
The sky above Lenoir is Carolina blue with a stray feathery cloud on the horizon with the silhouette of Grandfather Mountain in the background.
Lenoir enjoys snow for a comfortably short stay from time to time here. My two boys enjoy winter sports by making the short drive up Rte 321 to Blowing Rock.
Our diversity is a refreshing change from the city. A local elementary teacher told me she enjoyed taking her fifth graders on a short eco-field trip to snowboard and ski country yesterday.
As I shoveled my drive way I could not help noticing the small bird tracks left in the snow as they scattered about in search of food. The beauty of this little hamlet is amazing when the powder glistens off the rolling hills. It feels good… except for one thing. My home is on the dark north face of a mountain where the snow remains today. Yes, I see the golf course, but still, I don’t like the cold.
This week I was reminded how nice it will be when I move into my new home at StarCross Village where I’ll be facing the sun all day. No kidding, I will not miss this cold side of the mountain.
In the middle of January, we often reconnect with friends we haven’t seen since the holiday rush of parties. Last night a group of friends gathered at a local banker’s home to toast the new administration in Washington and this morning my friend called me to talk as she drove to the middle school where she teaches social studies. We all come from such different backgrounds.
We reflected on the friends that attended and we agreed that we lived in a slice of heavenly bliss. Last night’s gathering brought a diverse group made up of a doctor, a lawyer, a furniture company executive, a retiree from the furniture industry, two retired teachers, one of which is handicapped, an artist, a dispatcher in a trucking firm, a manager in a communications company, a politician, and a retired forester.
Why is the diversity of a neighborhood important? As we celebrated inaugural history, we really did feel a sense of the ‘common purpose’, and we gathered by coming to this celebration from our own individual perspective - a true commons.
It is relaxing to see so few problems– even if we might disagree on some things. We shared laughter and debated ways to help reaffirm President Obama’s vision of a ‘new era of responsibility’ and to help do our part through some tough times. All of us had a sense of hope…and plenty of it.
I see my involvement with StarCross Village as a sense of hope. The thought of a sustainable community in Lenoir is exciting. I would like to think that I will meet other people who move into these homes who will also want to make a difference ‘one day at a time’. I want to realize the dream of protecting our environment from the effects of global warming by doing my part, but I still want to enjoy my life.
Elected officials and planners in Lenoir and Caldwell County deserve a slap on the back working on StarCross Village, a neighborhood which plans to use energy from solar panels to serve the electricity and hot water for each home. The home I want to live in will be less than one half the size of my current home. Is this a sacrifice for me? I would not call it that. It will be part of the promise we were asked to make by President Obama. I would like to see this seedling grow into something important right here in my hometown.
My friends and I are having some fun with this plan to perform simple acts of service. What better way to be of service to the environment than to live in a sustainable neighborhood?
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