Come In & Do Slam the Door!

Nothing is any more Southern than a big ol' wrap-around porch and a screen door.  Wish I had a dollar for every time my mama yelled at my brother and me, "Don't slam the door!"  But there is just something about the sound of a slamming screen door as you run in or out of the house.

Screen doors aren't as popular in the South as they once were, probably due to air-conditioning.  But in years gone by, screen doors were basically a necessity.  They let in the cooler air (if you can find any on a hot July day down this way) while keeping out the pesky gnats that those of us below the "gnat line" fight on a daily basis.  Although I do love my air-conditioning, I really do miss screen doors.  They just bring back memories of southern roots and days gone by.

The invention of the screen door is sometimes credited to a lady from Iowa named Hannah Harger in the late 1800's.  Although there is no real evidence that she did, it wouldn't surprise me.  After all, we women folk don't like flies in our homes bothering our babies or landing in our soup!  But even though it did begin as a utilitarian necessity, the screen door can also lend an elegance to a home as well as provide a barrier between the home's occupant and an annoying door-to-door salesman!

When I get in one of my nostalgic moods, I think of adding a screen door to our side porch.  However, there are those who nowadays are finding creative ways to use them both inside the home as well as in the garden.  A pantry door can be transformed or vines could be trained to weave themselves up and around. 

Those are great ideas, but sadly there is one thing that is lacking....those doors will never squeak on rusty hinges or bang against the door jam as a child runs in and out.

 Yes, maybe one day before my grandkids get grown I will add that screen door and happily yell as they run in and out, "Do slam the door!"
             *pictures from Google search