I've been trying to spend more time out on my front porch. We used to do that alot but for whatever reasons we got steered away from it.
If I get up early enough I can take my coffee and reading out to the porch and enjoy before the sun comes up over the trees.
I premember spending time at my grandparents and every evening after supper we would go outside and sit under the shade tree...visit with neighbors and another aunt and uncle that lived next door.
Aunt Evelyn wrote about the front porch in her book, as she remembered it and I'll share that with you today, as well as a few pics of what I see from my front porch...
"The communication center of home. Every house today needs a front porch. It does more for the neighborhood than anything else. There were no tv's to watch so after the dinner dishes were done we all went outside to sit on the porch. You would visit with the people on either side of you and across the street. Children would play up and down the street. Finally we would all lay down to see who would see the first star. Then they would say...
Star light star bright
First star I've seen tonight
I wish I may I wish I might
Have the wish I wish tonight.
Then we would find the big dipper, little dipper, north star, the bear, the milky way went all the way across the sky from north to south.
When a storm came up through the day we curled up in the porch swing. With the lightning flashing and thunder booming we felt safe in the swing. Grandma said 'the angels were bowling again'. Summer nights Grandma would tell us stories until we went to sleep.
We would spread an old quilt on the porch and play games, cut out paper dolls and dream about what life would be.
The world would be much better if we would visit with the neighbors up and down the street. We don't want to come out of our nice cool houses and leave the tv.
The front porch sitting is a dying art, gone the way of the nickel cigar and 10¢ soda.
The lazy eveings we gathered on the porch the adults discussed new things-cars, farm machinery, prices of farm products, happenings in the nearby towns.
Sit on the porch in the evening, sip tea, watch the neighbor water their yard. Sleep with the front door open and screen door held with a simple hook and listen to the radio."
That's what Aunt Evelyn thought about the front porch.
I really enjoy sitting on my front porch when I take the time to do it, on an old, rickety, broken down glider, that has seen many a better day but I can't bear to part with it. Maybe I'll give it a makeover this summer.
Take a little time out today and sit on your front porch.
Enjoy your day!
