Spoleto. Rollerderby. Moonvine. Junebug.

In 1995 I went on foreign study to England with a band of miscreants from Furman. Dusti was one of them. We took classes in the mornings, played afternoons and evenings, wrote in our journals late at night. One morning during class, Dr. Radel had us on the topic of art and geography or something, and Dusti shot her hand up to make a comment. "You know, Charleston has a sister city called Spoleto." Many laughed, because they had no idea what she was talking about. But I did! Spoleto is a city in Italy, and in many ways, a sister to Charleston. We share a visual and performing arts festival started in Italy, and celebrated yearly now in Charleston since 1977.

I've been going to Spoleto since high school. And now it's a tradition for Dusti and me to go together. I look forward to it every year. This year, we had (nosebleed) tickets at the Galliard for the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater's 50th anniversary celebration. Amazing. I got a dance cercie when the company performed Suite Otis (a tribute to Otis Redding). I had never seen that piece. I am always delighted and disappointed all at once with the ephemeral nature of live performance.



Georgie the traveling Giraffe went with me to Spoleto, his first experience in Charleston. He seemed to fit right in at Dusti and Jonathan's house. I think this marks his first experience living with cats. Dusti and Jonathan have three: Faulkner, Whitman, and Titus Bramble. I hope they are all getting along with Georgie, and don't mind him on their hearth for awhile longer.

I got a rollerderby cercie while in Charleston, too. The Lowcountry Highrollers in a bout against the Charlotte Bdazzlers. I was surprised by my own enthusiasm to see the Charleston rollergirls win. By the end of the night, we were all on our feet cheering. Who knew?

That was May. Month of arts and music and festivals and ... moonvines. I soaked last year's seeds and planted them about five weeks ago. By the end of May, there were at least three sprouts, then the heart shaped leaves, then the entwined vines reaching for any possible highpoint. And soon there will be blossoms in the evenings. Big white ones! I will post pictures - they will be your moonlight cercies.

This is June. Month of poolside and sweltering Columbia summer heat and ... LUCK? I was at the garden center this afternoon looking for geraniums and a fern, when ... "Hello!" A ladybug landed right on my chest. I slipped my finger close to her so she would crawl onto it. She did, and went up my arm, then flitted off. My little Junebug luck cercie.