Making Summer Last

I love autumn. I really do. The crispness of the days. The beautiful golden light. The leaves turning. Fires in the fireplace. But . . . I miss my screened in porch. I sit there every morning before jumping into my day. It helps ground me and prepares me for the busyness ahead. I end most evenings out there, no matter how late. Just a brief touching base with the quiet and the night helps me relax.

But that becomes difficult when it gets really chilly. Sure the fire pit is nice, but not in the morning. And it requires some work, so it's not good for a few minutes of quick evening relaxation. So I started thinking of ways to make summer last - at least on my porch.

Of course I start with throws and blankets. Not the kind I use in summer for a chilly evening, but something more serious. And in fall patterns and colors. Fall sometimes requires wrapping up. just ask my cat.

And then a friend suggested a patio heater. What a concept! For not a lot of money I can warm the porch well into autumn. There are tall styles, tabletop styles, hanging ones, lamp lookalikes, ones that make a design statement . . . I had no idea! They come in sleek metal, stainless steel, wicker, bronze. My porch is small, so I think a small table top model will do. I'm thinking something like this, although the cute wicker one might work. Or the one looking like a pharmacy lamp.

Now all I have to do is add mums and decorative kale in place of the annuals, maybe a pumpkin or two for interest and I'm good to go well into the fall.

Hmmm.....wouldn't watching the snow fall from here be nice? I wonder how expensive glass over the screens would be?