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Front porch sitting missed this summer
I guess you could say my "porch sitting" days began as a young child when I would sit on the porch in one of our two swings just to keep cool. Back then air conditioning was a gentle breeze on the front porch or cool air generated from an attic or window fan. Very few people had air-conditioned homes in the 40s and 50s, especially if one lived in the country. My father did not like air conditioning because he said it caused him to have problems with his sinuses. Many Sunday afternoons my cousin Jo Ann Hayes and I would sit on either her front porch or our grandparents' front porch (next door to her house) for hours on end, talking and reading Sunday's funny pages in The Birmingham News or playing card games. One of the reasons I like to sit on my front porch is to watch my favorite birds, the hummingbird, partake of the sugar water in the feeder near my wicker rocking chair. Sometimes, if I have on something colorful, he or she wants to feed on my flowered blouse or bathrobe. I also like to listen to the many songs of the other birds and watch the butterflies feed on the lantana blooms. Recently, while sitting on the front porch, I heard a strange sound that appeared to be a bird in distress. It was a sound that I never remembered hearing. When I asked Mike about the sound he said it was a hawk and she was probably making that strange noise because she had young chicks trying to learn how to fly. I finally spotted the female in a tall pine tree. There are a lot of houses in Jackson that have porches that beg for someone to sit in their rockers or take temporary residence in their swings. They include the Higginbothams, the McLeod sisters and the Longs, all on College Avenue, Martha McGowin on East Church Street and the Outlaws on Kimball Avenue. I remember sitting on the front porch of the Outlaw home (formerly owned by the late Carol and Reinard Green); it was a great place to visit with the hospitable Greens. I don't know about you but I can't wait for the cool October mornings and evenings when I can once again spend more time on my porch or the porches of some of my friends. Porches are great for visiting friends and watching birds. Favorite recipe Looking for something different to cook for breakfast for your weekend guests? The following recipe could easily be prepared for breakfast or as a dessert. Orange Breakfast Ring 1 cup sugar 3 tablespoons grated orange rind 2 (12 oz) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits 1/3 cup margarine, melted Combine sugar and orange rind. Separate biscuits, dip each in melted margarine, then in sugar-orange mixture. Stand biscuits on sides, overlapping edges in greased 9-inch tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove ring from pan and invert on serving platter, or if you have a one-piece tube pan, just invert. Icing 1 (3 oz.) package cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons orange juice Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar. Mix well until smooth. Add orange juice. Stir well. Spoon icing over top of ring while hot.
This recipe is from "Bell's Best" cookbook, one of several that may be purchased at The South Alabamian for $10 each.
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