Front Porch Summer Update

My front porch is such a challenge in the summer.  It faces southwest and gets to around 1000 degrees, so having anything delicate or alive is out of the question.  However, in the winter, it’s the most delightful outdoor space we have.  I sit there in the afternoon sun and warm my bones.

I don’t want to totally ignore the space, but it really needs two drastically different sets of furnishings for winter and summer. So in lieu of all new, I just gave my front porch a little summer update.

Here are some of the summer challenges and how I managed around them:

The Screen Door has Very Little Clearance.

There are so many door mats with cute sayings, but our screen door won’t clear anything with any height to it at all.  That means I have to get a really thin rug for the porch.  Really thin equates to it won’t last long. 

We recently found a mat at At Home and it wouldn’t lay flat for anything.  I was sick of straightening it out, so started looking for another.  This black and ivory buffalo check indoor/outdoor rug came from Overstock.  I guess it wasn’t on sale when I bought it, but it is now if you’re interested.

HOT in the Summer

I love having green plants and some softness at the front door.  But it’s really hard to find anything soft that loves our summer.  I do have an aloe vera that apparently loves it out there because it’s flourishing. 

We found rustic galvanized pots at our local Down East and I like the look with our modern architecture.  The aloe lives in one of the pots and the others I filled with UV resistant artificial plants from Michael’s.  I have to admit they aren’t as pretty as I would like, but I give them a good hose down about once a month and they’ve kept their shape pretty well.  For next summer (if we live through the zombie apocalypse) I’ll look to replace them with something better.

The heat also affects any furnishings I want out there.  I have a wicker chair I bought several years ago from Pier 1 (sniff, sniff, they’re closing).  It’s winding down its life, but I think I have another year out of it.  It’s sturdy and comfy, but some of the wicker is breaking off.

Outdoor Stuff is Expensive

Since I’m trying to curb my spending which has been a little crazy lately, I’m trying to make do with what I have.  So I do want to keep that chair, but maybe not buy any more cushions since I don’t know what’s next and cushions are pricey too.

The garden table was a good find from Tuesday Morning.  It is hammered metal and unique compared to beautiful, but run-of-the-mill garden stools.  The second season I had it, it rusted so John’s been spray painting it ever since and we’re limping along without replacing it.

I found an adorable striped pillow at At Home and I think it looks great with the rug.  It was only $10 so I don’t care that it isn’t the highest quality.

Avoid Looking Halloweenish

Earlier this summer I found a beautiful flower wreath, but the flowers are orange and I was concerned if I paired them with the black it would look garish and Halloweenish, but I think it looks OK and the orange is not too overpowering.

This wreath from Michael’s is my favorite thing on that porch. I just love it in person.

All in all, I think I did the best I could without spending a lot of extra money and I never get tired of black and white.  I’m not calling it stunning, but maybe it’s a good base to keep improving upon.  I’d love any of your thoughts or suggestions.

What I’m Reading

I abandoned two books this week. And since this post is getting really wordy, just let me tell you what they were and not why. Let me know if you need more detail.

DF Andrea told me about The Overstory by Richard Powers.  It has good reviews and is a Pulitzer winner, so I ordered it. Turns out note for me. Life is too short and all that.

In nonfiction I started Untamed by Glennon Doyle. I’m put this one down too. 

On audio I finished The Third Victim by Lisa Gardner.  This is my first Lisa Gardner book and while I love thrillers, this one really didn’t do it for me and I have to say I hated the ending.  It moved too slowly and didn’t explore the characters enough for me to be interested in them, much less come to like them.  It had some good twists and CJ Critt’s narration kept me from abandoning it.

Since it’s part of a series, the characters may become better developed and there may be hope in the future.

On audio, I’m now listening to A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain.  I remember reading it many, many years ago.  Mark Twain stories have always been among my favorites. I cannot wait to tell you how uplifting this story is right now during our times of social unrest. Book review next week!

What I’m Eating

DF Denisse had me to her home for dinner last week while I was in her part of town working.  She made the most delicious beet salad.

Here’s what she did:

• Salad Greens
• Pickled beets, diced large
• Craisins
• Honey roasted pecans
• Cold grilled chicken,
• 1 package goat cheese, crumbled

Dressing was olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. 

I brought her Tucker and Olivia a little gift each and you can tell the way they were flanking me, they were very appreciative.  They played with those toys the entire time I was there.  So cute.

Last post, I detailed my healthy veggie plate and recommitted to getting myself on track.  I’ve been much better this week with disciplined exercise and it feels so good. 

I have been getting out to walk by 6 or before and getting in a good two hours.  While I was out this week, I saw a number of painted rocks by some pretty talented people, courting roadrunners and a bobcat.

In addition to walking, I’ve been getting some strength training and abs in and a couple evening  water aerobics classes.  I almost feel like a human again.