C3 - The Courting Swing

We have an old porch swing that has been demoted and moved to the yard. I love the swing, but there just isn't room for it on the porch. Other summers we have sat on it a bit, but we have hardly used it at all this year, preferring instead the mosquito-less screened-in porch.

I bought the swing with money given as a retirement gift by fellow teachers at Southview School. It seemed an appropriate use - you know, retire and sit on the porch and swing. Well, we did a lot of other things, but the swing did get a lot of use. It first resided on the deck at the lake. Out place was at the top of a hill, and it felt like you were swinging in the tree tops. Well, actually, you were. We loved it there in the morning and evenings looking down the hillside. All the grandchildren loved swinging in it too when they visited us.

When we sold the lake place, the swing came home and resided on our front porch at 123. Here we had a great view of the neighborhood as we swung back and forth. Sometines you saw more of some neighbors than you wanted to see. But the swing saw a lot of use, came out each summer, got a new coat of stain, and swung on and on.

When we moved here to 634, as I said, it was moved to the yard. We like to sit in the yard, and the mosquitoes like for us to sit in the yard. You do get a new perspective of house, yard, and scenery. However, we have found that the landscaping around our porch that looks okay from the porch, looks pretty tacky when viewed from the swing. We don't really want to take it out until the porch needs to be redone. So, we don't often sit in the yard.

So, why do I call the swing a courting swing? Well, Don and I are certainly past courting. But many of nature's other creatures have found our swing most attractive.
First, in late spring and early summer, Mr. and Mrs. Mourning Dove sat on the back of the swing every evening and did their courting. So sweet. Then, too Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal spent some time there. Although, they are busier birds, and didn't sit so still side-by-side. Now, the Kingfishers live in our yard. But they are a whole different story. All they seem to do, is fly about chasing one another, diving into the creek, and arguing constantly. At least it sounds like arguing.

But, yesterday morning, I saw a new courting couple. With my poor eyesight, I thought I saw something moving on the swing. When I looked through the binoculars, I thought it was a huge, beautiful Monarch butterfly. Later, the one huge butterfly became two regular sized butterflies. I realized that it was actually two butterflies and they were.........ummmm......courting?