Some of my fondest summer memories were made on an old fashioned porch swing. From the time I was a toddler, the swing has been a friend that has accompanied me through the eras of my life. I didn't realize how much a part of my life it was until I sat down to write this article.

My grandmother had a porch swing for as long as I can remember. In fact, she had one on the front porch and one on the back. The back porch was screened in, which made it private and cozy. It was sort of an extension of the kitchen. I spent many hours playing out there. When I was a baby and a toddler, I had my own little swing that my grandfather made. It was a yellow, wooden swing. It had arms and a brace on the front to hold me in. When I was about three years old, I would swing and sing at the top of my voice, "Come Down From Your Ivory Tower", or "You're Nothing But A Hound Dog".

My grandparents had a nice, big vegetable garden by the Ohio River, which was about two blocks from their home. Grandma also had peach and pear trees in her backyard. I remember many summer and early fall days that she and my mother would sit on the back porch swing and prepare the vegetables and fruit for canning. They would husk corn, work on green beans, lima beans, peaches, and pears. I have vivid pictures in my mind of Grandma sitting there with a pinafore apron on over her dress, and pans and paring knives on her lap working on the produce.

The swing was a wonderful center of socializing. Almost every summer evening, my grandparents would sit on their front porch. My uncle would come to check on them, my mother and sister and I would go over, and even neighbors might stop by as they were taking a walk. We would have long visits and chats, and would usually stay out till it was time to go to bed.

Of course, on summer days, I would sit on the swing and have my grandfather tell me the fascinating West Virginia ghost stories! He was a retired engineer from the B & O Railroad, and he had plenty of them to tell, both from the train experiences and from his childhood.

My family also had a front porch swing. As a teenager in the 1960's, I would be getting ready for a date or a swim dance. After I had showered and washed my long hair, I would swing and listen to my transistor radio until my hair dried.

My friends also loved to swing. We would have summer games of badminton in the front street. Then we would sit on the porch and talk afterwards. One time, my friend and I were swinging too high and the chain broke. We came crashing down! It scared us to death. Luckily, we didn't have our feet under the swing or we probably would have been crippled.

As I progressed to being a young mother, I found the swing to be very comforting to my babies. It would calm them when they were fussy or help them go to sleep. Sometimes, in the mornings, I would sit them beside me in their baby seat, and swing gently with them while I drank my morning coffee and tried to wake myself up.

A few years later, my husband built me a beautiful, sturdy swing. I jokingly told him that it would be the end of my housework and cooking because I would spend the summer on the swing! There were times that was almost the case.

I found my summer days centering around the porch swing. In the mornings, I would take my coffee out on the swing and have my devotions. We had bamboo style porch blinds, and it made a nice, private nook to read my Bible and pray. In the afternoons, after my housework was done, I would take my favorite mystery book out and read till my husband came home from work. Then we would sit there together and talk about the day. Many times we would even go back out after dinner to enjoy the cool evening.

The porch swing played an important part of my life. Such a seemingly insignificant piece of furniture was the basis of wonderful activities and memories. I am now looking forward to summer, when I can meet again and spend time with my lifelong friend.

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Credits: Inez Haythorn