Posts Tagged ‘porch’

An Outdoor Porch Swing Is A Special Place

An outdoor porch swing makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons. We all know what it is like to be standing around outside visiting with friends, or watching the kids play in the yard, or just relaxing without a place to sit down. It's no fun. Sometimes you just need a place to park it and enjoy the great out of doors. A swing not only offers such a place, but it does it with style. They look great. They are relatively inexpensive and last for years and years if properly maintained. Any porch without a swing is just plain naked. And no porch should have to endure that kind of embarrassment.

When I was little I remember my grandparents had an outdoor porch swing. It was a great place to hang out. I spent a lot of hours on that swing with them, with aunts and uncles, and with siblings. I didn't realize it then, but looking back on those years now, I realize what a special time and place that really was. The gentle motion of the swing was comforting and relaxing. I found it easy to talk to other people there. Plus it was just fun.

As an adult, I have come to value an outdoor porch swing for other reasons too. Life in our modern world is so busy and full of distractions. Having a place to slow things down and really relax is hard to understate. I love sitting on the swing and watching the kids play. I also find that even if there isn't anyone else around to keep me entertained, the swing still gives me a comforting place to think and ponder. So much of our time these days is filled up that we sometimes forget to have some alone time. When I am relaxing on the porch everything just sort of falls into perspective. The swing may not be magic, but for me it comes pretty close.

The best sort of outdoor porch swing for you is obviously something you are going to have to decide. Here are a few ideas. First of all, consider your available space so you can decide how big of a swing you want. Some swings are meant for one person and are pretty narrow. Most are designed to be used by two people and are about 3-4 feet wide. If you have the need for a larger swing, you can find them almost 6 feet wide.

Another consideration to think about is what type of material you prefer for your outdoor porch swing. Classic painted pine swings give that country look, are light weight, cost less, and are very nice. Redwood and cedar make wonderful swings that don't have to be stained unless you want to, they have natural oils that act as a preservative against the sun, insects, and other deteriorating affects of the weather, and are absolutely beautiful to look at. Plastic swings don't require periodic sanding, painting or staining, are often made to resemble wood grain, and are very durable.

An outdoor porch swing is what you make it. You can choose the material you want your swing to be made out of and set it up on your porch, but that won't make it what it could be. Oh no, if you want it to become something special, that takes time. Time spent with a child or other loved ones. Time spent there thinking, praying, and pondering. Only this quality time will endear you to your swing.

About the Author

MJ is a freelance writer for Clickshops, Inc. where you can find the perfect outdoor porch swing for your home or garden at www.leisureporchswings.com.

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Porch Swing Q&A

How do you build a porch swing?

I want to build a wood porch swing for my Grandma for Christmas. I've found a lot of written instructions but I'm looking for drawings, so if anyone can help me locate them I would appreciate it.

http://www.ehow.com/search.aspx?s=how+to+build+a+porch+swing&Options=0
Go to this site and type your ? in the search box...you may also want to save it to your faves !!
Good Luck!!!

I think I am about to move into a haunted house!?

I will be moving in Feburary but we bought the house today. There is a porch swing that I was reading on while my parents were in the back and I heard a thump on the window next to me. I looked to find nothing there. I went inside to look and I heard footsteps in my soon- to- be bedroom so I ran in there and there was nothing. There are three doors in my room- the bathroom- the outside door- and the closet. I went into the bathroom to look and I heard breathing behind me so I jerked around and nothing was there. I went out back into my room and INVISIBLE hands shoved me into the closet. I screamed and the closet door shut and locked. I was found only when someone came in. What do you guys think?

What scared me was it felt like the hands were trying to rape me! My clothes kept flying up and my pants unzipped.

I believe you and this is very serious. There is a similar story in the book "Beware the Night". There is a group of demons called "Incubi" (plural of "Incubus") that are very violent and sexually aggressive.

I hope you're religious, or at least open-minded, because I would recommend talking to a priest as soon as possible. I say this as a devout Protestant, but I would trust a Catholic priest with this sort of situation.

Good luck and God bless.