The Slamming Of A Screen Door

New houses have storm doors and even most older homes have upgraded to storm doors, as well. I live in a house that's 156 years old and even we have upgraded to some storm doors. But on one of our three porches, I insist on keeping that wonderful old screen door. I love the sound of it slamming. And I love that when the door is open, air actually comes in --- unlike with a storm door.
I was on one of my porches this morning during the rain and stayed there until the rain actually came to get me. Usually I can find escape from the rain on at least one of the porches, but yesterday and this morning, the rain was pretty aggressive.

Growing up, my family's house didn't actually have a porch, so my sister and I would sit out in the yard during all seasons. There was just something about that outdoor camaraderie. Oh, the conversations we had sitting in that yard! Our grandma's house did have a front porch - with a swing! She loved to sit out there. Maybe that's where I got my love for it. People would walk by and drive by. Some would only wave, but others would stop to talk. It was wonderful.

The front porch became popular in American architecture in the early 18th century and for more reasons than just watching the world go by. People wanted to escape the hot indoors! But it did also offer an opportunity to visit with neighbors, hear the news of the day, wave to a passerby, etc. A porch was and still can be an extension of a home's interior.....some place where we can actually feel the breezes, be comfortable, relax. Put up a ceiling fan for the days when it's too warm. Or, like I do, have a hand fan waiting for you on the swing. Wonderful!

It makes me sad to drive down a road and see a house with a pristine, clinical porch where everything looks perfectly beautiful - but where you know that no one ever sits and enjoys the day or the evening.  I want a swing, maybe with a blanket or pillow. I want a rocking chair or three or four (pillows/blankets apply here too!), where people feel automatically invited to join in. "Sure! Come sit a spell! Can I get you a cup of coffee? (Or depending on the time of day....) Perhaps something stronger?"

Lots of houses today have decks and/or patios. And that's fine, if that's what you like. I have a patio too, but somehow I usually migrate from it to one of the porches. The porches are covered, a little more cozy. The porches just whisper my name. Sometimes they scream my name. Last night I was INSIDE, watching the Cardinals - which is something I also LOVE to do. Try as I did, I couldn't stop myself from leaving the TV and wandering out to the porch swing. And while I was out there, the Cardinals actually scored a few points. So, maybe I should have stayed outside a little longer.

We have friends who have what we fondly refer to as a "river porch". How we love sitting there with a glass of wine in the evening. Nothing better - relaxing with friends, looking at the river and having a glass of wine (or two).

One of these days I'm going to train myself to actually leave my cell phone indoors when I go to the porch. That's a tough one, but possibly an attainable goal. Ahhhhhh, that really sounds good.

I'll leave you for now with just this thought or encouragement. If you're not already a "porch person", give it a try. You might just really enjoy it. Feel the breezes, watch the world go by and even if you only have storm doors, try to remember a time when you could actually hear the sound of the screen door slamming.