The Song of Summer
WITHOUT A DOUBT, a screen door slamming is the anthem of summer.
It reminds me of my childhood in Wisconsin, when relatives played cards on our white front porch, set between two stately elms.
We kids raced in and out as the screen door, with its old-fashioned fretwork, slammed behind us.
Bursts of laughter and the shuffling of cards were tempered only by my dad’s stern admonishment, “Don’t let the screen door slam!” If I close my eyes, I can still hear it.
Like the front door, our back screen door had a lot of character. Unpretentious. Transparent. Inviting. Painted a Granny Smith apple green, its rickety, mesh-covered wooden frame hung slightly slanted. The rusty hinges creaked when the door opened.
Back in those days, most…
