The porch swing is up…..
This may not seem like a big deal, but it is. One of the first things that we bought when we bought our house 24 years ago was a swing to hang on the front porch. You may find us there on a warm summer morning soaking up the eastern sun, or late on a hot evening just sitting and talking as we watch the traffic go by. We read books to our sons sitting here, had many talks with our friends and family members over the years. Kids waiting for the bus out in front of the house have given in to the temptation to sit and swing on it many times.
In a way it’s a sign of the seasons. It’s the “hello” to spring, and anticipation of all that summer holds. In October, it goes down in the middle of the month as I say goodbye to lawn mowing, burgers on the grill and camping. A little ahead of putting the snow tires on the car, I always think of it as one of the last steps in battening down the hatches in anticipation of another Syracuse winter. It has been known to snow on Halloween.
We’re late in putting it out this year because of the weather – it’s usually out by mid April, but we’ve had snow and cold later than usual after the fake spring in early March. But over the weekend I pulled the swing down from it’s winter home, hanging from the ceiling in the garage, dusted it off, then sanded away a number of years of wear and roughness, and put on a fresh coat of varnish. The chains got a coat of paint to hide the rust of the last 24 seasons. This morning I greased the bushings on the hangers (silicone grease of course) and put the swing out. I’m sitting on it now, parked in my usual spot on the left end as I write. Emails are done and I’ll have to head inside in a few moments to start the days work repairing pens.
But it’s going to be raining for the next few days, so I think that I’ll just sit and enjoy the sun and my old friend for a bit before I do…..
