A FRIDAY BREAK

It is Friday, the first in May. Although the calendar says it is still spring, it is really summertime in the south. "Summer" typically runs from May to October in most of the south giving us long, sunny, hot, and humid days. This year is no exception. The spring storms have passed. The full flush of spring growth has waned. Insects are beginning to multiply. 

Meanwhile, the schism in South Carolina grinds along slowly. The big news of the day is that the Archbishop of Canterbury refused to offer invitations to next year's Lambeth Conference  to Bishop Lawrence and his fellow schismatic bishops, but this is not really news because we knew it was coming. The breakaway bishops are not in the Anglican Communion despite their persistent demands that they are "Anglican." The Episcopal bishops, all of them, have been invited. Their spouses have been invited too except, regrettably, for the same sex ones. Apparently these spouses are going anyway. I say good for them.

Still waiting on the courts, as usual. In fact, we are waiting on three courts to act, circuit court, South Carolina Supreme Court, and the federal court. In the circuit court, there has been no word from Judge Edgar Dickson in five weeks, since he abruptly cancelled the hearing on DSC's Betterments suit. Apparently, he is waiting on the SCSC to tell him what to do. 

In the SCSC, the justices are mulling over the petition of the Episcopal Church and its diocese (Episcopal Church in South Carolina) asking the SCSC to issue a Writ of Mandamus ordering Judge Dickson to implement the SCSC decision of Aug. 2, 2017 that declared 29 of 36 parishes, and Camp St. Christopher, to be properties of TEC/TECSC. So far there has been no hint of how the SCSC justices might rule, but common sense says the court will see to it that their decisions and orders are carried out by the lower courts. It is unimaginable that the state high court would abandon its established orders. It is not going to happen. 

Over at the federal court, that is, the United States District Court, in Charleston, Judge Richard Gergel is handling the TEC suit against Bishop Lawrence. In essence, TEC/TECSC is asking the federal court to recognize the church diocese as the legal and legitimate heir of the pre-schism diocese as opposed to Lawrence's diocese. A few months ago, Gergel said he would schedule a trial in this case after May 1, 2019. Since then, there has been no public word from him. In time, he will either render a decision on his own or hold a trial. We are waiting on his action. Since Gergel is famously efficient and expeditious, I am a bit surprised he has not acted already. I expect he will soon. 

So, as summer settles in, we have no choice but to settle in ourselves for what could be long waits for these three courts to act. It is hard to be patient after so long, over six years now, but we have no choice. I refuse to be discouraged and I hope you do too. All of these scandalous legal battles will be resolved one day. You can count on it. The DSC strategy of deny and delay will run out of time eventually. They have lost in the state court, and I expect they are about to lose in the federal court. It will happen. The Episcopal Church flag will be reinstalled in the 29 parish churches where it has been removed.

So, to take our minds momentarily off the frustration of the glacial pace of the litigation, let us stroll around my garden and take in the beauty of God's creation. This should lift the spirits of anyone. It certainly does mine. Here is the garden this week:

The larger part of the garden in the morning sun as seen from the central lawn. The knock out roses are in full bloom.

Clematis "Polish Spirit." Easy to grow on any support, prolific bloomer.

Yellow false indigo (Baptista sphaerocarpa 'Screamin' Yellow'). Reliable perennial, easy to grow.

Shrub rose, "Magic Blanket." With full sun and a little acid soil, it blooms prolifically for a long time. This one is full grown at 5 feet.

Magic blanket up close.

The banana trees are flourishing by this seating area.

Also near the seating spot is a group of groundcover drift roses called "Coral Drift." Drift roses comes in numerous colors. Coral is one of the best. If you have a sunny spot that needs interest and color, plant a drift rose. It is care-free and easy to grow. The plants are fairly small, so can be put in limited spaces. I once tried hybrid roses, but found them too difficult to maintain in this climate. They are demanding and given to black spot because of our high humidity. The most beautiful rose garden I have seen in the south is at the Birmingham Botanical Garden, which, of course, is kept up perfectly by legions of gardeners. I have only myself and the occasional landscaper for the heavy jobs.

From near the very back of the garden on the larger side looking toward the lawn, one can see walk paths. The shrubs on the right are hydrangeas, on the left, camellias. You may notice an absence of annual flowers. I have tried them but found them too much work. I prefer low-maintenance blooming shrubs, perennials, bulbs, vines, groundcovers and the like. In that regard, my garden is in the spirit of a Japanese garden except for a water feature. This garden space started out as a house building lot. I have not connected the water or electricity.

I hope you enjoyed out little walkabout. And, once again, do not be discouraged or disheartened by the seemingly endless waiting on the courts. Remember, we thought the SC Supreme Court would never issue a decision, but they did, after twenty-two months. The circuit, state supreme court, and federal courts will all act, in their own time.