Covid Journal Day 23: Porch Views

A cold 50 degrees this morning, light overcast and a promise of rain in the air. Every now and then the sun peeps through, though.

We're spending a lot of time on the porch these days, as the weather gets warmer and the world continues to slow down. My youngest son said last night on the phone that maybe we needed this time to just stop, slow down and take stock of where we are. Sort out our closets and our lives. Not, as he said first, that we want people to die so we can do this. No one wants that. Everyone is afraid right now. But in the midst of fear and sorrow, we are also re-discovering what's important. Many people are getting badly needed rest, sleeping more than they've slept in years. Some small bright spots in what is otherwise a bleak time.

Our lives have nor had the seismic shift that others have had, but even so we have slowed down some and are on the porch as often as the weather allows. It's a well-used space. Right now we have the dehydrator out there, drying some ramps for storage, and I am re-potting my seedlings on the deck. Stuff comes in and out here as we move from project to project. It's always a job to keep it cleaned up--and of course if we let the pets up and it's the least bit wet out, then the floor is tracked up. Which it probably is anyway as Larry's boots are often muddy. The latest muddy project is coming along, and might be finished today:

Still, with all the coming and going, it's a pleasant place to sit and look out at the world.

The crabapple tree is a pretty sight these days. This tree was one of the first I planted when we moved here, some 45 years ago.

At the foot of the porch steps, this pretty patch of violets greets the eye.

 And along the walk, a few tulips are braving the chill and coming into bloom.

It will soon be time to listen for the whippoorwill. I confess my ears were straining for their song last evening as we sat by the firepit, but it's really too early. Hummingbirds will return soon too, so I have the feeders cleaned up and ready, and hope we will be able to get hold of enough sugar to keep them filled. Birdseed should arrive today for the songbirds--I would hate to miss the migrators, and they will soon be coming through.

Nature continues to follow its cycles, unaware of the turmoil we humans are facing. There's comfort in that--at least we have some idea of what to expect from the natural world. So I will be spending more time on the porch and in the woods, just listening and looking. The best antidote I know to the virus at the moment.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Porch Time

The porch and deck painting project is finished. It looks nice, but my goodness, every time we walk on it we leave footprints! What we get for living in the country. It'll wear in soon enough.

Not on the porch, but I love this old chimney stone. This the the one Larry pulled off the roof of that last cabin we took down, and surprised a snake curled up in the hole. I don't know who moved faster!

And another favorite spot. Cheap ol' sign from a yard sale (and the birds have added their own decor, I see) but it looks just right where it is.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Rain Date

A cool, foggy, rainy morning.

Just exactly what we needed for the gardens, and for ourselves as the temps cool down. 88% humidity makes it feel like we're living underwater, but I'll take it.

The tea and coffee place. 

As we drank our tea and coffee on the porch this morning, we watched harried bluejays grabbing big bites from the suet cakes to feed their squawking babies who had apparently just left the nest. I felt sorry for those poor parents, but it was fun to watch. We've had a new batch of young cardinals, too, and yesterday a rare visit from some shiny-black grackles.

We got our first peppers from the garden, nice big ones, so tonight it will be stuffed peppers for dinner. Tomatoes are ripening, cabbage is ready to cut, green beans are almost ready, and we're getting some nice potatoes.

The rain has brought out the smells of the herbs in the garden by the porch. Dill, basil, and all the rest mixing and mingling is a glorious treat for the nose.

Other than cooking dinner, today we will finish unloading our vehicles, sorting and putting away, and making a trip to town to pick up some lumber and other oddments for projects. We are planning a few low-key days to just rest and enjoy being home again.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Porch Painting Project

I posted these photos already on Facebook, so you may have already seen them. I am so glad to get this project done. It was one of those "We'll get around to it" things that kept being put off but finally made it to the top of the list.

EVERYTHING needed paint--the furniture, the deck, the porch. I painted furniture while Larry used the sprayer on the porch and deck. He's one of those get-it-done guys, just spray! Which means that any plants nearby are also wearing some red paint. Ah me. But they'll survive and be green again, and the painting job got done so all is well in the end.

 

 I used a plastic cover from the dollar store on the table top, because the top is pretty bad--just plexiglass and has paint drips all over it. But covered, it looks just fine.

Our favorite sitting place in warm weather, and even when it's pretty chilly out!

So, marked off the list. Now back to furniture and booths!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Porch Sitting

What is it about sitting on the porch? Just sitting there, watching the world go by? From my front porch, there's not much of the human world to see; Larry and I are usually the only two-legged creatures roaming around this hill, if you except the birds. There's a good plenty of feathered folk here, from the common robin to the colorful goldfinch and a mighty hawk that keeps regular patrol routes over our chicken yard.

Honestly, there's not a lot of excitement around here. Looking out from the porch we see pretty much the same thing every day: the dogs playing or sleeping, the cat prowling or sleeping, the vehicle parked in their usual places, the gardens and flowers and scattered tools that didn't get put away. There's plenty of trees to look at, and a nice patch of sky and we can usually hear a vehicle passing on the road--and if rain is coming we will often hear the highway, 4 miles or so away.

Still, the porch is where we like to be and we will be out there as late in the year as we can stand the cold, and as early in the morning as we can get up. We stop for coffee on the porch, eat lunch there, and often spend evenings in our rockers too, just looking out at the same ol' view we've looked at for the past many years. And the view does change, actually:

8 years ago, Hannah was only 8; now she's driving and a junior in high school, all of the vehicles in the photo are long gone, and the porch has been stained several times.

Haley was 10, I think; at this moment she is in basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, as she begins her career in the Army National Guard.

In 2003, an ice storm created havoc with our view and took down some favorite trees,

but later in 2003 the mess was cleaned up and grandchildren came to make spoon puppets. Now these young ones are all out in the world, getting on with college, careers and life. Jared works in Morgantown, Allison is a high school senior and on her way to UT-Chattanooga with a full scholarship for volleyball, Cassie is in Nashville pursuing her songwriting career, and Kate is a psychology major in college.

The porch is still here, and Larry and I still sit out in our rockers, talking and talking and wondering how we have so much to say to each other even though we're together 24 hours a day. We watch the birds, pet the dogs, stare at the cats, discuss the gardens, make plans for the day if it's morning, or review what we did if it's evening. We listen to the trucks and four-wheelers invisible from our view and wonder who is going where and why. We hear the crunch of the mailman's tires, the drumming of a woodpecker and occasionally the roar of passing military aircraft. We watch the moon come up, the stars appear, the frost melt or the snow fall.

It might not be the best view in the world or the most exciting place to be, but it's our place, and that makes all the difference to me.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

On the Porch, and More Garden Photos

I showed some garden photos the other day; here's some of the porch, pretty much ready for summer, and a few more garden shots:

I am so amused by the funky face thingy. It's just wire and fake grass over styrofoam, but it makes me smile.

The double washtubs have been on the root cellar porch. The idea was to use them to wash veggies from the garden before bringing them inside. What happened instead was they were a catchall for anything Larry didn't want to put away! Tools, wire, weird unidentifiable stuff--you know how it goes. So I am using them as a planter instead.

I painted the yellow chair to sell; it's been waiting for Larry to have time to put a seat in it. But I kinda like it on the porch too. I may still put a seat on it because it really is a nice chair--but I'll need another old porch chair then.

This quilt top says summer to me. I hang it over the back of the swing every year, and it's faded some over time.

I won't show the inside of this cabinet! It's Larry's catchall, everything from dog treats to bird seed to hammers, drills, bug spray. You name it, it's probably in there. The top drawer is full of tools. With no back porch or mud room we have few places for this kind of stuff. I keep thinking I need to move it and put some other cabinet in this corner; maybe one day. A friend gave the cabinet to me years ago, and it's been in several places since then, but longest on the porch.

I haven't planted much in this bed this year, just weeded and mulched it. The bee balm and lemon balm have pretty much taken it over. It's a great bloom bed for the honeybees.

My granddaughters (Jon's girls) decorated this flower pot probably 12-15 years ago. It used to be three tiers tall, with a large saucer on top for a birdbath. Different parts got broken over the years, usually as we moved it in and out of the cellar for safekeeping! I have tried to protect this last remaining piece--such a reminder of them when they were little. The pot just below it had a crack so I Gorilla-glued it and it's as sturdy as can be now. I like the soft green and clay colors.

Some roses are finally blooming, later than usual this year and with not nearly as many blossoms. I lost only one bush, and I am thankful for that.

Let me know if you're posting garden pics on your blog. I'd love to see them.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Make It Pretty Monday: Country Porch

Thank you, Kathryn, for featuring my gardens on the Dedicated House's Sunday Showcase! What a surprise, and an honor to be in such elegant company.

This week I am inviting you to set a spell on my porch.

My front porch is definitely a working porch. By that I mean we use it, a lot. We work on projects there, sit in our rockers or on the swing to watch the birds in the mornings and drink a glass of wine and play with the dogs in the evening. Summer visitors are more likely to be out on the porch than in the house, and most of them love to sway gently in our old swing.

Here's a look at where we spend hours of our time in the warm weather:

The swing was a ReStore find--that's the Habitat for Humanity store that sells used building materials and all kinds of other things. It's a great resource for primitive and country decorating as well as remodeling, and there are stores located all across the country. We did nothing to the swing except buy some chain and hang it up.

The quilt on the back of the swing is just an unfinished top but I like the soft colors that seem to go so well with summer flower gardens, and it fits so well with my rustic home.

This little corner holds a lot of memories. The basket you can see in the top right corner is a tobacco basket, a memory of our tobacco-growing days. We used the corn planter when all five sons were still at home and we had a much larger garden. The three tines you can see in the top left corner belong to a wheat cradle which we never used, but I have had it here for many years. There are coal mining picks, a tribute to my husband's father, a bucket of garden hand tools, a little crock...so many things that have been here since I moved to this land 40 years ago. The washstand was given to me at a yard sale; I painted it and added new knobs and now it stores boots, bee spray, small tools and who knows what else. It's a catchall, really, but so handy. My hat is hanging over a slate I painted 25 years ago, my first and only attempt.

I liked the way the deck was reflected in the stained glass window behind the swing.

 These are the Granny and Poppa Larry rockers, gifts from our daughter-in-law Jennifer. Best seat in the house for birdwatching! The vine over the door came from Grapvine Point on the James River in Virginia, the place where the Jamestown settlers were getting ready to abandon their settlement and sail back to England when the supply ships were spotted on the horizon. The rest is history, as they say, and I like having this reminder of it on my porch. We picked up that big vine when my son Derek was stationed nearby. The round mirror is a nod to folklore--did you know that evil spirits have to stop and admire themselves in a mirror and that distracts them from entering your home. 'Tis so, according to old superstitions. Blue bottles also attract and trap them so there you see the blue bottle hanging on my porch as well as in the tree out in the garden.

And this is the view (well part of the view) we see from our porch. Just trees and flowers, the firepit, the sidewalk that really needs to be replaced, and in the distance two of the vegetable gardens and one of the grape arbors. Nothing fancy, but I never get tired of looking at it. 

If you're ever in the neighborhood, do stop by. I can promise you fresh-ground coffee, good conversation, and a comfortable place to rest on my country porch.

Linking again to Make it Pretty Monday. Do pay Kathryn a visit and see all the many creative ideas and projects completed by her readers.

Copyright 2012 Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.