The Grandeur of a Porch

Daily Gratitude Year 6- Day 182: Today, I am grateful for the grandeur of the porch.

One of my favorite places on the planet is on a porch, especially one with a porch swing. It think my love affair with the porch began as a child. Mama Ina Mae would head up to Pat Vaughn's shop in her house to get her bee-hive hairdo, that was popular at the time. That took time and little kids underfoot would be in the way. Some Saturdays, Mama would drop us off with my Grandpa Lindgren's older sister, Aunt Elin Lindgren Christianson. 

Aunt Elin lived in an old house that was not particularly kid friendly. I remember that we didn't go into the living room much because it had breakables. In fact, the kitchen and her grand front porch, complete with a porch swing, were the two places where we spent the morning. Aunt Elin would give us a snack of saltine crackers and cheddar cheese topped with mustard and Brach's chocolate stars. 

Gershwin's "Summertime" comes to mind. The living was easy. 

The truth is, her home was far from fancy, but that porch was inviting and so different from our old farmhouse, that we found it very special. We played for hours and hours. Aunt Elin would serve us on the porch some Saturdays, which kept the crumbs out of her kitchen. Remembering her makes me smile. 

Nothing warm and fuzzy about Aunt Elin, but you knew that you mattered to her. Grandpa was born in 1899 and she was his eldest sister. I am guessing her birth was around 1889. Like the porch on her old house, she had seen many changes in the world. She rolled with them, although, not without opinions to share. 

Aunt Elin's porch was a cool place on a warm day and a shelter from fall winds. A porch doesn't have to be grand to be welcoming, but I will always vote for a swing. 

I occasionally have to overcome the urge to stay of the porches with swings in our little village. Mama Ina Mae says good manners demand you be invited to swing. Sometimes, I'd rather swing on the porch than have good manners... but manner win out.   

Today, I am grateful for the grandeur of the porch.