The porch is officially open here at This Old House…. let me not ever live in a house where there is no porch. I grew up in an old farmhouse smack in the middle of a Staten Island, New York neighborhood where houses were stacked close together. Our house was the original, built in the 1800s, before the area became a ‘hood. On the front of that old house was a porch, where many a rain stormy day was spent watching the drops fall around us, perhaps catch the neighbors arguing or playing cards or reading on their own front porch, and it offered shade for sipping lemonade or iced tea on hot summer days.
When we re-built This Old House – we knew what we had to add – a porch. There’s one on the front, facing the road – which we rarely use. The rear porch looks out over our gardens and the hay fields and horses up on the hill. It’s screened in summer to keep out the bugs and glassed in winter to retain some heat. On a cold winter day where the sun shines bright, it warms up enough so that we can still sit out there with a cup of coffee comfortably and enjoy the view, maybe even read a bit of the book currently occupying the nightstand.
Today after getting the various “stuff” done that needed doing…. I looked at the beckoning porch and said.. why ever not. I grabbed my new read – Susan Branch’s Isle of Dreams.. and sat in the reading chair, a light breeze flowing through. I highly recommend giving yourself time in your busy day, time to just relax and let go of whatever might have your knickers in a knot.
If you’re not familiar with Susan Branch, she is an author and illustrator who resides on my favorite Island, Martha’s Vineyard. I love her water color illustrations, as well as her writing style.. and oooh, her recipes are divine. Her real life fairy tale story is one of courage in the face of heartbreak, and resilience. My current read – Isle of Dreams, is hand written and illustrated by her- an amazing feat, and feast for the eyes and soul.
