front porch

I think it was my grandmother that instilled in me a deep love of front porches. Here is the house she grew up in:

I don't know if this picture does the porch justice. I never saw it, but she used to describe it to me and tell me how wonderful it was. It was a wrap-around porch, which in my opinion is the coolest kind. It is not the fact that they are visually appealing that really makes me love them: it is what they stand for. The idea of sitting out where you can see your neighbors passing by while you sit and relax with your family (think "Summer Magic" with Hayley Mills). I have always wanted one and while our house does not actually have one, it does have a little covered-patio-area that I have now deemed our front porch. I was nervous about putting out chairs because I thought they might be stolen (since our baby swing was), but we decided it was worth it to us to be able to sit out there, and it is not like the chairs are extremely valuable anyway. What I really want is a porch swing, but we don't really have a good place to hang one. My grandmother also loved Aidirondack chairs, so it does at least feel like on ode to her. We have been sitting outside in the evenings and even some early mornings, and we love it.

We desperately need to plant something new along our walkway since what used to be there died in a freeze (we do get those in Phoenix, believe it or not). Good thing they were thorny and we wanted to get rid of them anyway. Thankfully the roses survived. Now, I just need to learn to properly trim them.

It also gives us a chance to actually remember to water the plants we do have out front.

Jimmy has been big on practicing his photography, so there have been more than the usual amount of pictures of me lately.

We haven't exactly made new neighborhood friends, but maybe some day. For now I will just make believe I live in a friendly small town like in "Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury (one of my new favorite books). At least I have my own cute family to keep me company on my new front porch.

But maybe someday...