When I grew up my grandparents had an enclosed porch. We spent a lot of time there. Of course, it was only available during the summer months. I loved that porch. The bugs did not bother. The windows were open as long it was good weather.

I used to play on that porch. My cousin and I had our dolls out there. We also put up the card table and played games out there. Sometimes I did Swedish weaving or embroidery out there.

When I moved to Hickory Heights the porch on the west side was a mess the boards were rotted so we could not use that entrance. It was not long until my husband, father -in-law, and brother-in-law set to fixing it. My brother-in-law said he always enjoyed when they went for supplies. The clerk usually said, “What kind of porch do you have?”

The porch ran on three sides of the house wrapping the whole thing. Actually, the porch was originally larger. They took part of it to enlarge the kitchen. We found a board dropped in the wall saying it was done in 1908.

I love my porch. I love to sit out there to enjoy nature. I can hear the birds, I can see the deer, and occasionally I have seen a bear.

There are seats on all sides of the porch. On the eastern section there is a table and chairs. The grandchildren and I had many a picnic there. Sometimes I take my tea or coffee out there in the morning. Across the front porch I have a swing and a bench – it is actually an old church pew. On the western side I have a rocking chair, and other chairs and a table.

The summer we had a foreign exchange student he found sitting on the porch a favorite pastime. He especially liked the old rocking chair. He looked for a chair to take home, but could not find one.

That was before the day of the rocking chairs on the porch at Cracker Barrel. He had never seen a rocking chair. It is an American invention.

Mostly I sit in the front. I can always find a shady spot. There was always a spot where we could be out of the rain, too.

Before I had a dryer, I used to hang my clothes on the porch. I used that porch in the summer and the winter to dry my clothes. I used to say my clothes got freeze-dried since during the winter they were frozen solid when I removed them from the line. I stood the coveralls in the corner and waited for them to thaw. Then I could put them on the drying rack in the bathroom.

The beautiful weather this past week has made sitting on the porch enjoyable. I suffer from allergies, but who doesn’t like being out in the sunshine after a long winter indoors. I can stand the small amount of unpleasantness.

Snaps likes to be out with me. He was never much of an outside dog, but he seems to like to sit with me. When Don and I sat out there the two dogs were with us. My dog jumped up himself. Snaps needed some help. In the years we were married we sat out there a lot. It was peaceful. It was fun to watch the cars go by. I do not think most people could see us there. Of course, we also saw the birds. The last summer a robin built a nest over our front door. We watched the birds feeding their young after the eggs hatched. We could see our feeders, too. We had a lot of different kinds of birds. When we were in the kitchen, we could also see the feeders. We watched the birds eat while we had our breakfast. We tried and tried to attract orioles. They would come early on, but then we did not see them again. Don brought his orange feeders up. The first night he put one out a bear found it and destroyed it. Maybe that is why we did not get orioles.

I think I will have baby birds in a couple spots this year. One bird is using the nest on the drainpipe – I see her fixing it up. Another is trying to build above the door.

It seems to have gone from spring to summer in a hurry. This week we had a day of winter! I wonder what May will bring. We have not gotten many April showers.

The storms we have gotten have been damaging with the electric out two Saturdays in a row for about 12 hours.

I do not really mind the outages, except that I have no water. My fireplace in the living room keeps the whole downstairs warm. Of course, I eat all cold stuff since I have no stove either. I can do without the TV. The last outage I knit until I could not see any more.

I light the oil lamps. It is so peaceful without anything running. I remember Dick’s aunt saying she loved when the electric was out because it was so quiet.

They have a sit on the porch day during the summer in Warren County. People are invited to walk around and visit. Although most people cannot walk to my house, I invite people to stop to visit. The porch is a welcoming place.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, Pa. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.