I think it was called Valley of Light. It was about a soldier coming home from the war in the mid 40's. It was a good movie, but mostly I loved noticing the things of another era. The 40's fashion, including those little aprons women ALWAYS wore, the great cars (I LOVE antique cars) and most of all, the screen doors on everyone's houses. Isn't it funny how something as simple as a screen door slamming can take you back to another place and time? I immediately was taken back to being about twelve years old and going to my great-grandmother's house. It was the house where my mother was raised. It was a simple three bedroom house in the country. My cousin was just a few years older than I and we often planned visits during the summer months. My cousin and her parents lived in the house with my great-grandmother. This place always fascinated me. There was a front porch and a back screened in porch, each with a screen door. I always wanted to "dig for taters" in the garden, which my cousin did a lot and hated. I LOVED it! It was like finding buried treasure (I LOVE potatoes). We played in the old smokehouse. We played on the big iron bed on the back porch. We explored down the dirt road and in the pasture and barn. We played barefoot in the front yard, spraying eachother with the waterhose and avoiding the sweetgum balls that were so prickly when you stepped on them. We ran in and out all day long. "Y'all quit slamming the screen door" Mama Keith would hollar at our backs. I can still hear her voice calling from the kitchen as she and Aunt Nell peeled the potatoes for supper. That is what a screen door reminds me of, a fun, simple day in the country, with family and good food.
I ventured to our local Habitat for Humanity resale store a few weeks ago. It was my first visit. The back room was full of light fixtures, toilets, etc. but on the back wall there stood a row of doors. Some paneled, some plain, some hollow with holes in them, but in the middle was a white screen door with peeling paint. It was five dollars. I wanted it so badly, but I just couldn't seem to figure out what to do with it. I knew if I brought it home without a plan for it, my hubby would give me the look. Ya know, that where in the world are we going to put that thing look? Do ya ever get that look? Anyway, my mom pretty much gave me the same look when I told her about it. I do realize it's not a practical thing to have a screen door when you have central heat and air, but....surely I'll think of something. Until then, my beloved white screen door sits in the back of that store just waiting for me to come claim it. Someday.
