The Old Back Porch
“Thankfully he is green, a loud green color.”
By Millie The Accidental Cook 
The walls were so dusty and almost light green. The year had been wet and damp. The dust, the spider webs, and the many unfinished projects had taken over one of my favorite spots… my back porch.
With every intention of trying out my new paint sprayer, I realized that I had not purchased the paint. That old wicker furniture that we had cherished through the years has been neglected for way too long. The rain that had beat in on the back porch has left it with a new finish. I decided that if I couldn’t paint it, I could at least clean it and remove the dust. With my cleaning cloths, my bleach, that old dilapidated broom, and my trusty hose, the back porch was my domain. It would be my project for the day.
I believe in teachable moments, just as my Momma did. Somehow in every trial or action, there is something to be learned. Sorta like our family motto “Take that lemon that you received and make some lemonade”. Turn it around and move on, learn from it, life is not a bed of pretty roses.
When I woke up in the wee hours of the morning I had no intention or inclination of doing anything on my day off from work, that is, to do anything other than turning over and going back to sleep. Most days I can’t wait to jump out of bed and start the day. I look forward to what the day might bring, the people that I look forward to seeing, the opportunities, the surprises and yes, even the not so good things that inevitably come. There is always joy that will come in the morning. Sometimes you have to have eyes for it.
On this very morning when my get-up had got up and gone, this morning my Mister reminded me that I needed to stay around the house and telephone since the much-needed exterminator was to be at our house around 10:30 am. It had been so long and we live in a very old home and seemingly have a lot of uninvited little guests. I am not speaking of that fat green lizard that occupies mostly the left corner of the porch. Thankfully he is green, a loud green color.
I really wanted to clean that porch before the exterminator came. And so, with my equipment in hand, I began to work. After mixing my bleach with some water I started rubbing down the wall on the back porch, starting at the wall and continuing out. Some of the spots were stubborn and took more effort, some of the corners were harder to reach and took a sharper eye and stronger muscle. In moving the furniture and wall art, I soon found that I had run out of room. Deciding that I had to go ahead with the hose pipe and wash down the bleach, from where I had rubbed it on, to make more room, I started spraying away, first with delicate spraying and then realizing it was gonna take some strong, straight-shooting water on that wall, I turned the nozzle to that steady, strong stream.
Wow! It was so amazing to see how that effort had produced for the most part a really shiny white wall. It is still a very old house but that wall looked so pretty and white. Mostly all of that dirt, dust, green mildew, the spider webs, the dead insects are gone and in their place was a white wall. A wall that been there all of the time, just not visible because of all the stuff that over a period of time, had not been cleaned up.
You remember that I didn’t want to get out of bed that morning. Well, God gave to me that morning a picture of my life with all of the dust that had gathered from neglecting to deal with it, putting it on the back burner (so to speak) until the time was right to clean it up. I realized, once again, that the right time is always right now. It’s such a wonderful feeling to know that the back porch is clean now, a much better feeling though is the one God gave to me. It has been such a special joyous day. Joy will always come, you just have to look for it.
Let’s not spoil it with my cooking. You don’t have to cook this very delicious pie so no danger of baking it too long. You can really prepare it ahead of time and even enjoy it another day.
I use my cheesecake pan for this. It is so very pretty after it freezes and you can just twist that pan showcasing the beautiful and delicious blueberry cheesecake. It not only tastes good It makes the cook look good.
ANOTHER RECIPE BY MILLIE
MILLIE’S VERSION – BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE
- 1/3 cup of butter/margarine – melted
- 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 heaped cup of sugar
- Two 8 ounce packages of softened cream cheese
- 1 can of condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla flavoring
- 1 can of blueberry pine filling
- 1 8 ounce size Cool Whip
- 1 cup of fresh, plump blueberries
Mix the butter, graham cracker crumbs & sugar together thoroughly and place in the bottom of the cheesecake pan. Set it aside. Beat the cream cheese, condensed milk, and vanilla flavoring until silky smooth. Stir in blueberry pie filling and Cool Whip. Blend it thoroughly and pour over the crust. Now place the fresh blueberries in your own creative design on top of this mixture. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for several hours. (You may want to add the fresh blueberries just prior to serving – either way it is a tasty masterpiece.
When you are ready to serve it twist the cheesecake pan and place on a pretty platter for better presentation. Enjoy!
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