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Back before air-conditioning, the Southern sleeping porch served not only as a novelty, particularly for children who thrilled to snoozing outside, but as a necessity. On summer nights, when the air inside a home became stifling,, in which a young Reese Witherspoon stays up late in just such a structure with her character’s older sister to muse about life. To keep the tradition from fading into the HVAC ether, you don’t need much more than a few key ingredients.