Porches are SIMPLY PERFECT

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Blog of the Week: Winnipeg O' My HeartBy: Emma Durand-Wood

Posted: 06/8/2014 1:00 AM | Comments:

I might be kind of a nerd (OK, I know I'm kind of a nerd), but I really love Thursdays because that's the day my neighbourhood's community newspaper, the Herald, is delivered.

There are usually all sorts of neat little tidbits inside: notices for upcoming events, stories about area residents and the interesting things they do with their lives, Kathryne Grisim's restaurant reviews and even the odd advertisement catches my eye.

One of the paper's regular columns is called Community Correspondent, where residents share short essays on whatever topic is on their mind. Sometimes (but not always) it seems to be written by an older person, bemoaning the current state of the city or the world. Most of the time, I kind of agree with them. I guess I'm an old soul. Or a curmudgeon. Or both.

A column late last month was headlined What happened to the screened veranda? In it, Transcona resident Ron Buffie mentions some of the city's newer houses "have that old-timey look with verandas across the front," but wonders why none of them is screened. Buffie's article is charming and funny and makes some very good points.

Well, Ron, we have a screened veranda (we call it the porch), and we adore it. I agree with you in wondering "why more houses are not being built with verandas, screened verandas. It seems like such a sensible and inexpensive method of helping to enjoy our summers."

Enjoyment is the key word here. Call me crazy, but I have never been a particularly big fan of mosquitoes (and unfortunately, they have an absurdly strong affinity for me). I used to love the intense Winnipeg summer sunshine, but something in me shifted when I had my first baby, and now I am a shade-seeker. Our shady, screened front porch is our haven from the sun and the bugs, and since the weather has finally warmed up, we've been enjoying it at all hours of the day.

Our son begs to eat breakfast outside almost every morning, and it's a pleasure to breathe in the fresh morning air, watching folks stream up and down the street on their way to work or school. During the scorching afternoons, we'll drag the Exersaucer onto the porch, plunk our daughter in it and enjoy popping in and out of the porch as we blow bubbles in the front yard, putter in the garden or chat with neighbours.

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Porches are SIMPLY PERFECT