Yes, I know. I’m a hopeless romantic. And yes, I am obsessed with a view of the South that’s stuck in the era of Mayberry and Aunt Bee. But that doesn’t make me wrong, does it? Whether you live in the East of Canada or the West of the US, you can’t beat the undeniable sanctuary of a screened-in porch.
“Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures.” Not a bad quote – and one that can often be found in people’s inspirational galleries on Pinterest.
OK, so it may be a bit of a cliché, but there is a real joy in simple pleasures. And that’s what I feel about screened-in porches. Whether they’re on an old Colonial home in the Deep South or on a contemporary home overlooking the ocean in the Pacific North West, there’s something timeless and nostalgic about the pleasure they offer.
I don’t need to tell you what it’s like to feel like you’re drowning in a sea of emails. Never mind the constant demands of social media. Or the incessant gnaw of the TV or Netflix. Sometimes you need to switch off – literally and figuratively. And that’s what a screened-in porch offers.
As I said, I’m just a hopeless old romantic. To me screened-in porches conjure the up the soft light and gentle ambiance of a Trisha Romance painting. They are the kinds of places that I can curl up under a blanket on an old and comfy sofa, protected from pesky bugs, and wile away the hours in a little oasis of peace and quiet.
And the thing about screened-in porches is that the screens themselves offer an element of privacy which only fuels the feeling I have that they offer a space away from the hurly burly of everyday life.
But I do have a confession to make.
You see, even though I’m the CEO of probably the world’s best retractable screen company, and even though I live in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, and even though I have an obsession with the absolute necessity of a screened-in porch, I don’t have one.
But one day my dream will come true.
One day I will build a screened-in porch. And one day I will sit on my old settee under a blanket gazing at the setting sun. And then I will smile a big smile and with a sigh, relax into reverie and peace and contentment.
A girl can dream, right?