There’s no place like home … or the old homeplace, right?

Those of us who have been fortunate enough to be raised in such a place can certainly count our blessings.

But nothing stays the same. It’s all part of the evolution of life. Inevitability, the parents grow older, and the children leave the beloved nest. Even though we might want to slow down the clock, there’s no stopping it.

And depending on the family dynamics, the transitions in life can ultimately dictate parting with that treasured part of our past.

Such was the case in last week’s Clemmons Village Council meeting when family members of Harley and Dorothy Boyles were on hand for an item on the agenda involving a zoning map amendment for Arden Group for Magnolia Park to build 25 twin homes on their late parents’ property.

“I’m the owner of the property known as 1730 Lewisville-Clemmons Road,” said Dale Boyles Darnell, one of the daughters, during the public hearing. “However, I call it home. I’m here with most of my family. Clemmons was a rural farm community when Daddy bought this property back in the ’50s. This is where we grew up.”

Of course, much has changed since that time more than a half of a century ago. West Forsyth High School was eventually built directly across the street and now has more than 2,000 students. And Clemmons has become a town and a bustling suburb of Winston-Salem.

The zoning map amendment was ultimately approved in the meeting, so there’s no going back for the Boyles family … or Clemmons, for that matter.

The family considered the twin-homes development from the Arden Group, a reputable local company, to be the best plan to support responsible growth and a beneficial use of the property in a new environment. Even opponents of the project agreed it was probably the best use.

“It’s hard for us too, to sell this as a family,” Darnell said. “It’s hard for things to change. Those of you who say you don’t want things to change in this community, I understand that. It is hard. I wish too that some things would never change. I wish my Daddy was still here. I wish my Mother was still here. I wish I had more time to spend with them.

“But one thing we can be sure of is that Clemmons will no longer be a rural community and that will continue to change.”

If you don’t think so, take a drive down congested Lewisville-Clemmons Road, visit the rapidly developing Village Point area, or drive around and see the many housing developments going up.

Yes, it’s no longer farm land or a sleepy little village. Even when we want to put on the brakes, life goes on

• • •

Fall is here. Finally. I thought it would never come.

It took until the middle of October — after we dealt with a couple of hurricanes and continued with most days featuring above-average temperatures and humidity that made it feel like the continuation of summer — to finally feel like autumn was indeed in the air.

However, it still doesn’t look like it. The orange, red and yellow colors that start to replace the green leaves have been slow to take over. Apparently, the summerlike heat keeps leaves green longer.

A trip we made to the mountains in early October looked about the same, which is even more unusual. This should be the peak time for fall’s foliage show along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The leaves will eventually change, and fall — usually my favorite season — will transition to winter, which is my least favorite.

So what’s in store for this winter? You can head to Banner Elk this weekend for the Woolly Worm Festival to find out. If the woolly bear caterpillar has more brown bands, the milder the coming winter will be, while if there are more black bands, look for a more severe winter.

They actually have a race to determine this, since the prediction can apparently vary among the worms. So the winning worm provides the High Country’s official forecast.

As for the fall colors… They’re coming. Finally.