The Blessings of a Screened Porch

 I heard the familiar beat of the hummingbird’s wings before I saw the bird directly outside the screened porch, drinking the fresh sugar water my husband had made in anticipation of the hummingbirds’ return from Mexico. This bird was our first visitor. 

Earlier in the week, I had hosed down yellow pine pollen off the wicker furniture and the screen that enclosed the porch. Finally, the rug was dry and the weather warm enough to comfortably bring my coffee and bagel outside to listen to the birds and watch for the first hummingbird of the season. 

When we bought our townhome over 10 years ago, all we saw was a large empty school bus lot. Our home would be built in the second wave of construction of an 83 townhouse development. We purchased lot 59, a corner unit, which meant the master bedroom was on the first floor. We could age in place. There would be changes to our model beyond our control, one being that the porch would be screened in—a detail I believe we wouldn’t have thought of ourselves at the time. 

Now the ornamental plum tree in back of the house is fully grown. The white and pink azaleas are currently in bloom. This morning, my bird identification app has identified five different bird songs from the Song Sparrow, Mourning Dove, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, and House Finch. The gardenias will bloom later in the season, their scent wafting onto our porch. When the rest of the hummingbirds arrive from Mexico, we will watch them fight over their territory at our feeder. 

For not having planned for a screened porch in the first place, we are graced with natures’ riches. Impinging thoughts about our political conundrums are blocked by bird calls, a neighbor’s wind chimes, and the lush green scenery. We are blessed.