Signs of spring...

• Good signs that the seasons are changing...

Displaying Kid Art (or maybe your own)

• Here's a thought on how to display your kid's art in their room, playroom or even your family room...A retractable clothesline...

• Most hardware stores sell them...

• One end gets attached to one wall and then the line gets pulled across to the other side and hooked (the line can easily be retracted back out of the way when not in use)...

• Hang the art (great way to dry wet paintings too) with clothespins across the line...an instant art show...

More thoughts on porches...

• Continuing the focus on summer living and porches...an open porch with a swing is up there as a favorite of mine...along with screened in porches...

Summer Living : The Screened In Porch

• As I was working on putting together the intro to my book, I started thinking and writing about some of my favorite things from where I grew up and things that I remembered...

• One of the things that came to mind was a good, old-fashioned screened in porch...

• Many of the houses I grew up around had them...They were very much a part of summer life...In fact, before the days of fully air-conditioned houses, people used their summer porches for sleeping...Maybe we can use that same idea today - if we are thinking of ways to live green...

• As a grown up, I think these kind of porches are still one of my favorite rooms of the house...even though they are an outdoor room - they are very much a part of the living space...

• Here is one such porch that I came across while shooting the book...