THE FRONT PORCH

We live in an older neighborhood with lots of homes that are around a hundred years old. When Woof and I go for a walk in the evening, we notice all sorts of different things....and we discuss them. Almost every old house has a front porch....some grand and elaborate with expensive looking furniture, lots of hanging ferns, and maybe a swing. They all look like wonderful places to spend some time on a beautiful night. Even the simple ones look private and comfortable. Woof brought it to my attention that as beautiful as these cozy places look, nobody is using them. What I noticed was that what was common was the glare from the TV inside.

When I was growing up we spent a lot of time at my grandparent's home...in fact we even lived there for awhile, and spending the evenings on the front porch is one of my clearest memories. That porch had wicker furniture with big soft cushions, and big beautiful awnings that kept it cool. When we'd take a walk there we'd stop and say hello to lots of people who were sitting on their porches and they'd do the same when they strolled around the neighborhood.

Woof and I are on our porch every night...sometimes waiting for my mate to come home from a late day in the salt mine, or all three of us are there discussing our day...maybe it's about chasing a cat, or closing a deal, or why the gardenia isn't blooming. I've had our porch furniture out since March...the warm spring pushing me to rush the season this year. My friend Bill told me that I have so many plants that I'm starting to look like one of those crazy people you see being led away on TV. I'm undaunted. He seems to put up with it when he's sitting there with his big lab having a glass of wine. ( Bill that is).

The front porch means a lot around here. Its big enough to set up a round table for dinner...a great place for those few remaining smokers to puff away during the Christmas party, and a great place for a crazy person's tropical palms and plants. Most of all it's a break from the noise of life...from politics and the latest news. The magic words around here are " lets go out on the porch"......We're lucky.