Perfect spot for an afternoon nap or glass of iced tea
Our porch in February
The unfortunate corollary is that a day that feels warm and nice to some one southern, feels downright hot to me. Over the weekend, we had unusually hot weather and I was practically wilting.
First warm day with no bugs
I've raved about Fran's Wicker in the past. Their outdoor vinyl wicker is as comfortable as their indoor real wicker.
Doesn't that couch look perfect for summer-time lounging, napping, reading, blogging???
Check out this cool little table. We've had trouble fitting a dinner table out here - the porch is pretty narrow. This cafe table and chairs is great. We can eat an elaborate dinner, without it taking up too much space.
The other thing that makes our porch great is the mosquito curtains. For years, Jim and I dithered back and forth about what to do about bugs. (We have a lot of bugs in the spring and summer in NH.)
We thought about screening the porch. I really, really wanted a gazebo....but we couldn't figure out where we'd put one and how to really make it work.
Jim finally found this great solution....mosquito curtains. He emailed the couple that makes them some pictures and had some phone conversations. For a few hundred dollars our bug problem was solved!!!
We installed them Sunday in 20 minutes. Velcro and snaps hold the whole system in place. This is our third summer using them. Last fall I washed them for the first time and hung them to dry - no big deal.
Tricky section with different heights and attachment systems
Mosquito Curtains from front of house (inside railing)
Side of house (curtains outside railing)
I cannot say enough good things about the company or the product....it's always great to solve a problem in an elegant way. (In the computer sense of that term.....not so much the beauty/style sense....although they're beautiful and not having bug bites is even more beautiful!)
View from the wicker couch (or what I'm looking at when I'm blogging!)
I've got my camera. I'll report back soon!
11 comments:
Your house is so beautiful! it sounds like you have a lot to put up with, but I'm sure its worth it! - such a lovely part of the world you live in. I love your photos of the wildlife too...amazing!
Oh, what a great idea! Looks wonderful too. Isn't it amazing how quickly the black flies and mosquitos come out?
Up here in OR we have a 3 week knat/black fly season in spring, but up in the mountains at the higher elevation very few mosquitos in spring and due to dryness even less in full summer. The horses are plagued by the biting deer flies though on and off through the summer. Enjoy your lovely weather.
We had a dusting of snow last night and flurries on and off yesterday.
I do LOVE a screened porch! I don't have one though. Even here in the steamy south I would definitely use it. We have fierce mosquitos in Virginia!
And that cactus! Reminds me one one we used to have named TC - short for The Cactus. He lived with us for many years until a kitten we adopted and named Chaos killed him by using the dirt as a litter box.
Your porch looks very inviting! I live in PA and we too have just had the swealtering heat. Today is more "normal" temps. My favorite spot to spin and weave is on my porch too. The kids can play, I'm out of the sun, we are all happy! LOVE the bug netting, it looks great either inside or outside the railing, and that little table is a wonderful find. We too have a narrow porch, will have to check the company out! Thanks for the resource! Enjoy your porch this summer, I know I will!
I can't imagine living in a house without a porch. Your's so inviting. The furniture is beautiful and comfortable looking. We like ours too but it face west and gets the hot evening sun so use it more in the morning and early afternoon. Our trees aren't big enough to block the sun. Awnings are out of the question because of the strong winds. I also would like a gazebo. Like Debbie I'm from Pa and many of our Amish neighbors make them so we'll see. Guess we're lucky we've never had many flies or mosquitos.
Mosquito curtains... Hmmm.... I've been looking at retractable screens for our front porch, but that's a great idea for a large part of it. Thanks for the info!
Your porch is absolutely beautiful! Around here, nobody has porches. Just now, it is too cold to sit outside anyway, but we hope for spring now. The mosquitos and knats usually arrive at midsummer. The mosquito nets are a great idea, I think the mosquito oils and the poison fume stuff which are sold are quite nasty.
You absolutely have no idea what this particular post does for my heart. I read you bloggers from gorgeous parts of the US and try not to lust after your beauty. We are still cracking out of winter, winds blowing, more cold predicted for the weekend. But - But! We have no bugs, no mosquitoes, no ticks, no fleas - just rabbits, and more where they came from.
The comment I left earlier seems to have disappeared into cyberspace.
Sue, your home and porch are lovely, what a wonderful place to be able to spend your hours! The mosquito curtains are a wonderful idea, thank you!
We have a lakeside porch and I enjoy sitting out there spinning, washing wool (drying racks out, too). It would be wonderful to be able to use it more during the summer, instead of just late spring and early autumn. I will have to look into this.
This is like a film set. It's beautiful and absolutely dreamy.
Thanks for the house compliments! We are so blessed to live here. (We picked the plan out of a library book and had no idea what a big, beautiful house we were building until it was almost done.)
I like hearing about weaving and spinning outside. I haven't really done that before, but I'll definitely take different projects out there this summer.....maybe I should try to hang onto my borrowed table loom for a little outdoor weaving. It sounds so pleasant!
I love gazebos.....if you have a chance to get one, I say go for it!! They're so beautiful! (Of course, it's easy for me to say....I don't really know how practical they are...but if Amish people make them....they must have some basis in practicality, right?
Porches or decks are pretty common in New England, even though there are really 4 months of good outdoor weather, and another 3 months with occasional outdoor weather. But, as a region, I think we try to really enjoy our nice summers.
It's kind of amazing to think of living where there aren't bugs. We go pretty much from needing layers of clothes to needing layers of sunscreen and bug spray to go outside. So the porch is nice....outside but without bug problems.
Our "elegant" frozen pizza dinner is coming out of the oven. Gotta run!!!
Thanks for visiting and commenting!! You all brightened my day!!
Sue
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