Years ago, when Jason and I were newlyweds and on the hunt for our first house at the top of my list was a big front porch. A cozy spot I envisioned sipping my mug of coffee each morning and watching the world go by in the evenings, glass of wine in hand.
Oddly enough, even when we finally purchased our first house in Portland that porch swing never got hung. Maybe because the house wasn’t located on a very social block and when we did have people over we tended to gather in the backyard. Or with a fixer upper, an ever growing project list and babies underfoot it just never happened.
Our neighbors in the house we live in now recently gave us an old porch swing that had been stored in their garage for years collecting dust. And although we have a big front porch and neighbors that pretty much gather outside each and every evening, it seemed more fitting to bring the swing up to the mountain house.
It just needed a little TLC to bring it back to life. I spent a few hours giving it a nice sanding, a couple coats of dark stain I found on a shelf in the garage, and counted down the hours until it was dry enough to use.
We ended up hanging it on the back side of the garage, a secluded area overlooking the orchard. I haven’t enjoyed my morning coffee or evening glass of wine there yet. I’ve just spent my time swinging and soaking up the calm, Bosley underfoot.