Thursday, May 9, 2019

PORCHES ARE PLEASING


When I was a little girl, my family lived in a (rented) house with a large front porch.  Oh, how I loved that porch!  It was a sort of sanctuary for me…a place to daydream, a place to sit and talk with friends, a place to catch a cool breeze on a hot summer’s day.  





And, of course, that porch (like so many other southern porches) had a swing.  I wonder how many times I pushed myself in that swing, sometimes going so high I thought my feet could almost touch the ceiling.  One of my childhood dreams was to one day own my own home with a large front porch and there would definitely be a swing and….that dream came true.

This is my swing….




And here are some others I really like…(pictures found here & there online)

This one is made from an old headboard


Love the blue color

And this one was made from a door…very creative

Surely this is the kind of swing God has in heaven😊



But there’s more to a porch than a swing…wicker furniture, flowers, hanging ferns, pillows, candles, an American flag hanging from a column, or whatever else you might fancy.  I don’t like for a porch to look cluttered but I do like it to have lots of character.

               #1



There is just something about a porch that screams SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY!  Pull up a rocking chair or glide to and fro in the swing drinking a glass of sweet iced tea, add to that a funeral fan to keep away the gnats or to create a cool breeze, and you can solve the world’s problems (well, maybe a few of them). 

                    #2



Porches can be a place for entertaining, a place for quiet reflection, the perfect place for devouring the latest best seller, or another opportunity for creating seasonal décor. 

                     #3



A porch is a place for daydreaming, for sharing secrets with a friend, for shelling peas fresh from the garden, or just a place to sit and wave at neighbors as they ride by. 

                      #4

                                #5



In the South a front porch is sometimes referred to as a veranda.  I love that word…has a romantic ring to it.  Through the years many Southern mansions (see Charleston and Savannah) have sported a veranda filled with columns and even gingerbread trim, but historians tell us that actually porches can be traced back to overhanging rocks of prehistoric times.  Doubt cavemen and women sipped on some sweet iced tea though as they relaxed on their rock porch!
                       #6


Generations ago in the deep South (my beloved home), people would often paint the ceilings of their porches/verandas a particular blue/green color referred to as Haint Blue.  Tradition said that it kept the “haints” (demons, evil spirits, etc.) away.  My porch ceiling isn't blue, but we don't have any haints (at least I haven't seen any.)  Today some people believe that a blue ceiling keeps wasps and other insects away…not sure about that.

                    #7

             #8




My children and grandchildren have always loved our porch about as much as I do.  Just the other day my granddaughter was out there in the swing reading her latest HARRY POTTER novel.  Just the sight of her brought back memories of my childhood when I would swing back & forth, back & forth, dreaming of the day I would grow up, have a family, and see my children & grandchildren swinging on my front porch, back & forth, back & forth, dreaming dreams of their own.




Front Porch on our Farmhouse style home



And Side Porch (where everybody comes)


Which of these (#) is your favorite porch?

When out of sorts with life or self,
A porch is hard to beat.
As long as you've a comfy chair
And space to stretch your feet.
---Chuck Toll









25 comments:

  1. I'm from Alabama and a big front porch is a staple! I love large front porches...one large enough for swings and hammocks, rocking chairs and tables. One with enough room for friends to sit and chat for a while! Love the samples you've pulled. Hugs!

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    1. A porch sure is a place to share our southern hospitality, isn't it?

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  2. Yes, there is something very special about porches. We love our back porch and enjoy it so much. Have a great weekend!

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  3. We have a deck out back but would love to have a screened-in porch back there...maybe one day:)

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  4. Never heard of the blue ceiling theory but it's worth a try! I will choose # 7 please! I hope you know the Alan Jackson song Front Porch Sitting!

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  5. I do know that song:) Next time we paint our house I think I'm going to try the blue ceiling. We have wasps! If I knew for sure it would get rid of spiders I'd paint it myself tomorrow!!!

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  6. I love the last swing... I agree that "swing God has in heaven"....

    Have a wonderful weekend

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    1. Tanza, I could do some serious sittin' and readin' and daydreamin' in that swing:)

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  7. I have always adored porches. My grandmother had one and I played on it all the time. My home has a small covered porch. I love decorating it. Your porch and that swing are wonderful.

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    1. Kim, my grandmother had a huge screened in porch in her old house. She practically lived there during the year except for cold winter days. Shelled many peas sitting on that porch!!!

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  8. We don't have a big front porch but our back deck is the gathering spot. Unfortunately it doesn't have a roof so we put a canvas gazebo on there to be a good second best option. I would love a screened in porch because of the bugs! Anyway, I love the ones you've featured including yours of course! I can see why it's a special place. I do like that one with the red wicker...very pretty!

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    1. Yaya, I love RED so that porch really appeals to me too:)

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  9. Had an interesting question on my fb page last yr about a porch verse a deck. I have always had a deck on the back of this house, never usable till yrs ago. It is on the back of the house (of course) where the sun would hit each evening as the sun went down. Plus, living with a creek that runs right next to the house I had lots of BLOODSUCKERS (misquotes). I always call it a deck, but mom called it a porch, telling me that once I screened it in, it actually became a porch! Most folks sided with my mom! haha....I still call it a deck. Thanks for a lovely blog post, you brought back memories of me enjoying my grannies porch as a child/teen.

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    1. So glad I brought back some sweet memories for you. I know what you mean about the mosquitoes!!! We have a pond in the backyard. One thing though that has seemed to help our deck vs mosquito situation is that I have lemon grass in a big pot. It is supposed to deter mosquitoes and I think it has definitely helped at least to some degree.

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    2. I had some of that planted next to the deck years ago. But - although it cost more then the grass I took care of the issue with the screen! Screened in deck works wonders.

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  10. Came over from Pam's blog....

    Oh I love old fashioned porches!! Yours is soooo lovely. Lucky you. :-)

    And since I have a soft spot for Pink... #8 porch picture, caught my eye.

    Such a lovely post topic. Thank you for this.

    Gentle hugs...
    ✨✨✨✨

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    1. So glad you came by to "chat" and hope you'll drop by again:) And yes...that pink porch is absolutely fabulous. So romantic!!!

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  11. WHAT an uplifting post!! You have brightened my day...and my front porch looks exactly like yours!! I must send a pic, you’ll chuckle!
    Thank you for your sweet comment on my blog about my sophiejane. You gave me hope that I might smile again!

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    1. Please do send me a picture:) Thanks for coming by.

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  12. I don't have a porch at home and wish I did! So many lovely ones here.

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    1. You have so many adventures you probably don't have time for a porch:)

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  13. Thank you for this post:) I love porches and yours is gorgeous. I have a swing in my back yard and I love to sit in it and ponder the days gone by! Have a blessed day dear friend, HUGS!

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    1. Just sittin' and relaxin' wherever you got the time and space is a blessing:)

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Please stop and "chat" with me...I love hearing what you have to say!