When my youngest son was a toddler, he loved to swing. Every day he would stand at the back window, pointing at the swing set and relentlessly repeat “wing, wing, wing” in the most adorable toddler dialect. He didn’t seem to care if it was sunny, raining, or if 6 inches (15 cm.) of snow covered the ground.
As a stay-at-home, freelance-writing mom, I had long ago realized that a relentless toddler was not at all conducive to a quiet work environment. Thus, much to the amusement of the neighbors, I would dress my youngest in whatever weather-appropriate clothing he required, and we would head outdoors for a session of swinging.
I have to admit, some part of me was looking forward to the day when my youngest outgrew his toddler swing and this all-weather tradition would end. However, grandparents see life through the eyes of time and better appreciate the fleetingness of these precious parenting moments.
Much to my chagrin, my quickly-growing toddler was presented with his very own wooden porch swing (complete with a hand built wooden frame) at his next birthday. Gee, I couldn’t thank his grandparents enough for their thoughtfulness. Naturally, the tradition of all-weather swinging continued for several more years.
That seems like only yesterday. My youngest is now a grown man, living with his wife in an urban apartment. Sine he has no room for a garden swing, it has remained in my backyard. I can’t say that I’ve upheld the tradition of swinging year-round, but I often find myself sitting on the wooden porch swing during the warm, dry days of fall.
Changing Fall Leaves
A garden swing is the perfect place to sit and watch the leaves change colors. I enjoy the view of the fall-blooming native flowers, especially the goldenrod. I laugh as I see the squirrels scurrying around burying and reburying black walnuts. Like me, they always seem to have more tasks than time.
Mostly, I find sitting on the wooden porch swing in the fall to be the perfect place and time to quietly contemplate my gardening wish list. I mentally review what I’ve accomplished this year and consider what I still have time to do. Like the squirrels, I know I can utilize the cool fall days to busy myself with the endless tasks which are an innate part of gardening.
I no longer loathe the garden swing as an instrument of winter torture. Instead, I’ve come to enjoy my time contemplating what was, what is and what can be – especially when it comes to that gardening wish list. And as I sit and watch the leaves change colors and the squirrels scampering around, one thing is for certain. The wooden porch swing has a primitive lack of comfort that doesn’t keep me sitting for long.
