Now that we are having warmer days with the promise of more to come, our living space has expanded to the return of the front porch. While I grew up with a front porch, over the years I had thought wanting a porch was maybe just a wistful longing. But several years ago, after dragging my husband out to investigate a new mixed home community with — you guessed it — front porches, we sat down with paper and pencil to do the math. In the end, after looking at a seemingly endless wish list — which included the porch – we decided it was more economical to just add some of these features to our current home. And the porch was one of the items at the top of the list finally. We now know that it was one of our best ‘house’ decisions yet.
So, as the weather warms, we migrate out to our outdoor space where there is plenty of fresh air. My husband loves it so much, he will sometimes bundle up in his coat and go out there in the winter. He claims he misses being out there, and it is not really all that cold. Of course, I believe him. I do not think he would ever risk freezing just to get away from me.
When we return to the front porch in the spring, it is a return to seeing our neighbors after a hibernating winter. They wave, honk or say hi as they come and go down the street. We’ve had more visitors in this hopefully coming-to-an-end quarantine. Our guests usually ask to just hang out on the porch. I do not think this is entirely due to social distancing, though, that is a good place to do that. I think it’s a desire for a different kind of slowing down.
It seems that time passes differently on the front porch. It is an unhurried and more deliberate slowing down. You can take the chaotic world with you thanks to Wi-Fi, or better yet, leave it all behind…at least for a while. When you are out there it seems, you notice more. You see and hear more. Sometimes you do more thinking or less thinking, depending on your mood. Some may even do no thinking, which I am not sure that I ever recommend, unless you are asleep and then carry on.
The first hummingbird returned a couple of days ago from its 2,000-mile flight. It made its presence be known as it looked for the feeder where it knows it should be. It is always good to see their return as you know that summer is not far behind. Mud daubers are already scoping out where to build their nests. It is a good place to sit at night, too. You can just enjoy a cool drink while looking at the stars or listening to the night chorus. This year though, we are likely to have a day chorus also when the 17-year Brood X cicadas emerge. But they will only do their thing for five or six weeks before they are gone for another 17 years.
Porch time is never wasted time. You might like to spend time alone, read a good book, play a game or just hang out together. Playing on the porch is always welcomed. It will not be long now until the bees are busy on the lavender blooms.
The unspoken rule on the porch is that it is okay to just sit a while and it is fine to even do nothing. After all, the porch has its own kind of time. But just a tip, a whisk broom is a handy thing to keep nearby as your neighborhood cat will most likely find your soft cushions a great place to nap.
