What? Summer Without a Porch Swing?

I love and old-fashioned porch swing.  What says "summer"  any better than sitting on the porch on a summer evening, visiting with neighbors, listening to the crickets, seeing the lightening bugs and the street lights start to glow.

I would guess from this baby picture, that my love of the porch and the swing began when I was just a
baby.  I even love the idea of a young  "courting" couple sitting on the porch swing stealing a kiss now and then.  Courting?  Now there's an old-fashioned word that fits right in with the old-fashioned porch swing.
When Don and I were "dating"  way back then, we spent a lot of evenings on my front porch, but we had
no swing....just regular old chairs.  Don just remembers my dad coming out and reminding us how late it was getting.  But, even now, when I think of summer nights, that front porch is the first thing that comes to mind.

When I retired from teaching, the other teachers at Southview School presented me with a lovely card, and a very generous monetary gift.  I used that money to buy a new porch swing.  It seemed a very appropriate gift to celebrate retiring.  You know....retire, sit on the porch, swing away the hours reading and visiting!

Well, in retirement we did many other things besides, but the swing did get a lot of use.  It first resided on the deck at our lake place.  Our place was at the top of a hill looking down toward the lake.  It felt like you were swinging in the tree tops.  Well, actually you were.  We loved it there in the mornings with our coffee, and in the evenings with a glass of wine.  And all the grandchildren loved swinging in the tree tops when they visited.

When we sold the lake place, we brought the swing home, and it held court on our screened-in front porch at 123.  There we had a great view of the neighborhood and all our neighbors.  Sometimes you saw more than you wanted to see, but usually it was just great.  And the swing was used daily by all of us, even all our pets.  And there it resided in the summer, was stored away in the winter, and came out again in the spring to be restained and get new cushions.

When we moved here to 634, we had to move the swing out into the yard.  We had added some new porch furniture, and there simply wasn't room for the swing.  It looked lovely there, and was quite nice for the occasional party and picnic.  We liked to sit in the yard, but the mosquitoes found us quite delectable! Ouch!  And

Don had to move it around every time he mowed.  But still itcame out each summer for its restaining and new cushions, and was front and center for many parties.

And, in the yard, the old-fashioned swing had actually become a "courting swing".  Well, Don and I are way past courting.  But, we have seen many courting couples sitting on our swing.  Mr. and Mrs. Mourning Dove sat on the back of the swing singing their sweet, melancholy song to each other.  So sweet.  And I have seen 

Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal there.  Now the Kingfishers are in the yard, but they are a whole different story.

All they seem to do is fly about, chasing one another, arguing, and diving into the creek. At least their song sounds like arguing.

And then, one day I did see another 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 butterfly.  Later, I saw the huge butterfly become two regular-sized butterflies as they flew away.  I realized

they were actually two butterflies who were.....ummmm......courting?

At the beginning of this summer, we made a very sad decision.  When Don took the swing out of storage, he decided that it was simply beyond repair.  So now the swing has gone to "Porch Furniture Heaven."  At least I think that is where the trash truck took it.  I miss it, though I rarely sat in it.  Don is happy.  He does not have to move it around and mow around it.  Maybe someday we will get another one.