Sunday, September 23, 2012

Out On The Porch

Today I finally had a garden party.  Probably the last one of the season. I have to admit it wasn't my idea-my friends invited themselves over and gave me the equivalent of about 24 hours notice to prepare.  Yikes!  No way could I pull it all together that quick (at least to my unattainable standards).  So I dashed around like a mad woman focusing my efforts on the garden areas where I spend the most time and where my guests get the best visual impact.  Somehow I also managed to shop for some food and clean the house just enough to keep the board of health at bay.  In the end the planets aligned and it all came together beautifully.

As my guests arrived they quickly settled on the patio for an afternoon of wining and dining.  On a gorgeous early fall day like today, the patio is the perfect place to hang out and enjoy the garden.  However, as I sat there it dawned on me that the garden space where I spend the majority of my time, my screen porch, gets almost no guest exposure.

I love the screen porch.  It was one of the selling features of my house.  Last night I was out there until bedtime.  Tucked away on the east side of my house it's a perfect place to enjoy morning coffee, relax after work or sip wine into the evening.  To maximize use, every spring I open it as early as possible.  I guess I can see why it's not really a spot for entertaining-at least on a larger scale.  In the warmer months, guests prefer the patio and if it's too cold or hot for the patio, the porch usually isn't an option.

So the porch will remain my little private space.  A place where I can relax, unwind and squeeze every last minute out of the warmer months.  Summer may be slipping away but there's still time to enjoy the porch!




  

Sue~

19 comments:

  1. I love your private porch. We have to re-do our small screened porch, and I have been looking all over the web for ideas and inspiration, and here is the perfect example!.

    Ours is only 14 by 7 tucked into a corner of the house as yours is --- your porch looks bigger, but still long and narrow, and that is exactly what I need help with. Love the colors, the intimacy of the space, and the full length screens.

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    1. I think my porch may be about that size, Laurrie. When I get home tonight I'll measure it. Every year I plan to spruce up the decor but never get around to it. The furniture is a perfect size. In fact, when I got divorced I gave up the patio set to keep this stuff because I knew it would be a pain to try and replace :).

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  2. Oh how I wish we had a space like this! Perfect for when it's warm ish but stormy and rainy. Under a big blanket, sippin hot coffee...perfect! Lucky you...

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    1. And the wi-fi works ou there too. It really is a perfect space.

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  3. I LOVE your screened porch Sue. It's a beautiful space and it provides the very best views of the East gardens. The next time the mosquitoes chase us in from the patio we'll settle on the porch to enjoy the rest of the evening. One never knows, maybe we'll have to invite ourselves over for a porch party, LOL

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    1. Why don't I just give you a key to the house?

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  4. The idea of a private outdoor space, just for you, is awfully appealing. Are you sure you don't want to take this post down, before too many other people discover your secret place?

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    1. Fortunately most people don't have the GPS coordinates for my house, Jack.

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  5. Every house deserves a porch, and many have them. But few reach paradise stature. Yours does. Must be hard to leave for weeding duty.

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    1. Fortunately I'm somewhat of a compulsive weeder :).

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  6. I'd live in that fabulous screened-in porch too. All the scents, the sounds, the breeze -- but no bugs. I always love the morning after having guests over. Other than kitchen cleanup, everything looks great for a couple days.

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    1. Yes, and I did most of the garden cleanup on Saturday so I could enjoy it for a bit on Sunday morning before guests arrived. Right now the sun is rising as I'm leaving for work so no weekday morning garden time. Soon no evening time either. Boo! Hiss!

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  7. Sure looks like a good place to hang out. You could extend "porchtime" by swapping out the screens for clear plastic panels for the many months of less than idea temps. The only downside is that you may end up wanting to sleep there.......

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    1. When I first bought the house I considered making the porch three season but in the end decided to keep it as a true screen porch.

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  8. Jealousy is an ugly thing, but I'm jealous! I've pushed to screen our verandah for years and met with negativity all the way. We have serious bug activity here because of our creek and pond, and I think a screened porch would be a wonderful added room! There are even electric outlets there for a coffee pot or lamp or whatever. DH thinks it would be an eye sore and prevent him from bird watching. Le sigh... I even had a quote to have the work done years ago.

    I bet your pets enjoy time with you there too.

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  9. I'm envious as well. What a lovely spot you have. I grew up in a house with a sunporch (now called 3 season rooms) and a screen porch. I often think of the possibilities of those neat garden rooms.

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