The Front Porch . . .
On the way to church, this morning, I experience a scene that my eyes very seldom see. I saw a man sitting on his front porch. That’s all he was doing – just sitting. It was not until I saw him that I realized I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen a porch sitter. Have they joined the Polar Bears on the endangered list or are they on the verge of joining the Dodo Bird’s Top 10 Extinct List? I’m not sure but they are a rare sight. If we’d not been going 55 plus miles per hour, I would have gotten out the camera and captured him.
I’ve been thinking about my memories of front porches and was surprised that I remembered so many.
My Grandma and Grandpa Matthews had a front porch and it was occupied many hours by my grandpa and his rocking chair. If you know anything about where my grandparent’s lived, you’d know that the road in front of their house is not highly traveled. That didn’t matter to Grandpa. He would sit there, quietly rocking and looking out over the hill. I often wondered what he was thinking since words from his lips were rare. Was he thinking of days past, days of childhood, or maybe of days to come?
Grandma and Grandpa’s porch was more lively when Grandma was present. She loved to talk and did a lot of it on the porch. We loved to sit on the edge and listen to all the conversations and stories that were shared there.
Another vision of a porch comes to my mind and it belonged to an old man on Hwy. 6, between Natchitoches and Robeline. I have no idea who he was, but every Sunday afternoon, on our way to visit Grandpa’s porch, we’d pass his porch and he’d usually be sitting by himself, watching the traffic. Dad would always blow the car horn and wave out the window to him which would always bring squeals of joy and laughter from the back seat, where the four Larpenter children were stationed. Each Sunday would remind Dad that that we were approaching the porch dweller’s house and he would never let us down by neglecting to “beep” and wave. I have a feeling that the old man looked forward to Sundays to see if the strange people in the small car, with kids hanging out all the windows, would remember him.
Growing up, we didn’t have a front porch but a front “Step” or “Stoop” as it’s called in the south. It was a 3 foot by 5 foot concrete porch and could not accommodate more 2 people comfortably. Even though it was small, I found it a nice place to sit and rest from a hard game of chase or hide-and-seek. It was a good place to go when my feelings had been hurt and I needed a quiet place to pout! The view of Koonce Street was great too.
What was the appeal of the front porch? Many things come to mind. The view is ever changing. The air is usually fresh unless the neighbor down the road decides to burn trash or leaves or if Wayne cleans out the chicken houses. Everyone relaxes while on the porch. Some kick back in rockers or swing on swings while others just stretch out on the floor and contemplate the major issues of life. People are educated while on the porch. History is transferred from generation to generation. Advice is always free for the asking (even without asking, at times). People fall in love on porches and sometimes proposals of marriage are made there. Kids learn that they can’t fly from the front porch. Friends are greeted and welcomed from the front porch and are also bade farewell.
Why, if front porches are wonderful, are not more people enjoying them? Why don’t we see more porch dwellers? One reason, in my opinion, is that houses are not built with good porches. On the street where we live, there are porches on the front of houses but they are not more than 3-4 feet in depth. That size will not accommodate a rocking chair, much less at swing. They don’t encourage the gathering of people but are only there for aesthetic purposes. Another reason we see a decline in porch dwellers is that we live in such a fast-paced society; we rarely take the time to enjoy the moments of porch dwelling. It’s a sad commentary of the state of our world.
Is it too late to reverse this trend? I don’t think so, but it will take some major government funding and resources. Are you ready for the challenge??
I’ve been thinking about my memories of front porches and was surprised that I remembered so many.
My Grandma and Grandpa Matthews had a front porch and it was occupied many hours by my grandpa and his rocking chair. If you know anything about where my grandparent’s lived, you’d know that the road in front of their house is not highly traveled. That didn’t matter to Grandpa. He would sit there, quietly rocking and looking out over the hill. I often wondered what he was thinking since words from his lips were rare. Was he thinking of days past, days of childhood, or maybe of days to come?
Grandma and Grandpa’s porch was more lively when Grandma was present. She loved to talk and did a lot of it on the porch. We loved to sit on the edge and listen to all the conversations and stories that were shared there.
Another vision of a porch comes to my mind and it belonged to an old man on Hwy. 6, between Natchitoches and Robeline. I have no idea who he was, but every Sunday afternoon, on our way to visit Grandpa’s porch, we’d pass his porch and he’d usually be sitting by himself, watching the traffic. Dad would always blow the car horn and wave out the window to him which would always bring squeals of joy and laughter from the back seat, where the four Larpenter children were stationed. Each Sunday would remind Dad that that we were approaching the porch dweller’s house and he would never let us down by neglecting to “beep” and wave. I have a feeling that the old man looked forward to Sundays to see if the strange people in the small car, with kids hanging out all the windows, would remember him.
Growing up, we didn’t have a front porch but a front “Step” or “Stoop” as it’s called in the south. It was a 3 foot by 5 foot concrete porch and could not accommodate more 2 people comfortably. Even though it was small, I found it a nice place to sit and rest from a hard game of chase or hide-and-seek. It was a good place to go when my feelings had been hurt and I needed a quiet place to pout! The view of Koonce Street was great too.
What was the appeal of the front porch? Many things come to mind. The view is ever changing. The air is usually fresh unless the neighbor down the road decides to burn trash or leaves or if Wayne cleans out the chicken houses. Everyone relaxes while on the porch. Some kick back in rockers or swing on swings while others just stretch out on the floor and contemplate the major issues of life. People are educated while on the porch. History is transferred from generation to generation. Advice is always free for the asking (even without asking, at times). People fall in love on porches and sometimes proposals of marriage are made there. Kids learn that they can’t fly from the front porch. Friends are greeted and welcomed from the front porch and are also bade farewell.
Why, if front porches are wonderful, are not more people enjoying them? Why don’t we see more porch dwellers? One reason, in my opinion, is that houses are not built with good porches. On the street where we live, there are porches on the front of houses but they are not more than 3-4 feet in depth. That size will not accommodate a rocking chair, much less at swing. They don’t encourage the gathering of people but are only there for aesthetic purposes. Another reason we see a decline in porch dwellers is that we live in such a fast-paced society; we rarely take the time to enjoy the moments of porch dwelling. It’s a sad commentary of the state of our world.
Is it too late to reverse this trend? I don’t think so, but it will take some major government funding and resources. Are you ready for the challenge??
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