For my first seven months in Old Greenbelt I was basically camping out in a construction site, a very noisy construction site. (My poor neighbors!  My poor cats!) But by late July the workers were finally GONE and I could start to enjoy the last of the construction projects – a new screened-in porch.   It’s my first ever, after coveting them for decades, as the mosquito and tick populations have gotten worse in this region.

At least in my last garden I could sit high up on the deck overlooking the hillside garden and not be TOO bothered but now that I’m on solid ground,  I decided I needed someplace to sit outdoors without getting eaten.  It took months to get the permits (GHI owners know the routine) but the porch’s generous 11 x 17-foot proportions and skylights survived the bureaucratic hurdles, so I’m pretty happy.  Actually, very happy.  I LOVE sitting here and I’ve been both relaxing and working during these last glorious days of Indian Summer.

In the photo above you see the high ceiling and the big old ceiling fan.  It’s not really old, but the trendy “rustic industrial” look that goes well with this 1937 home.  The wall on the right is looking kinda bare, so next season I’ll be adding another hanging plant or two.   I’m going for the “rustic industrial with garden lushness” look, if there’s such a thing.

Above, the view from my favorite reading chair.

My three cats love the porch, too, though as indoors-only cats they had a rude awakening last week when we had our first cold weather.  They seemed a little freaked out by their first exposure to cold air.

And this is the view from the sidewalk at the bottom of this garden-side yard.  Neighbors walking by on their way to the Center sometimes slow down to see what’s going on here, which is fun for me.  For decades I’ve gardened mostly unseen and I much prefer this more public, more neighborly site.