As the weather continues to warm up, I realize that I’ve been missing something over the winter that will soon be back in season – the front porch.

Front porches are traditional, very “old school” Americana, and are one of things that I think makes a house a home.  If you don’t have one, you’re really missing out.  Sure, you can have a fantastic back patio with a pool, fire-pit, and even a canopy with lots of twinkling lights, but for my money, I wouldn’t trade any of that for a good-old-fashioned front porch.

I remember sitting on my mother’s porch as a kid (and even into adulthood).  We’d talk with one another, watch the hummingbirds darting in and around the feeder, listen to the rain on the roof during summer thunderstorms, and view the fireflies (aka “lightning bugs”) as they rose from the grass as darkness settled in.

No internet.

No TV.

Just each other’s company.  Before you knew it, it was 10:00 at night.  We’d passed the entire evening “off the grid”.  I know, it sounds very “Mayberry-esque”, but what’s wrong with that?

I wanted my kids to have those kinds of memories.  When we lived in Florida, our home was in a large subdivision, and there was never really a sense of community.  All the houses featured gigantic garage doors facing the streets.  We lived in our neighborhood for nine years, but barely knew anyone (apart from our next door neighbors).  All social interaction was done privately within the confines of everyone’s screened-in lanais in the back.

When my wife and I decided to move back to the area, a nice front porch was one of the things on our “wish list”.  Luckily, we’ve been blessed with a great one at our house (it’s one of the reasons we bought it).  We’re right along the main street of town, and the porch runs along the entire front of the house and wraps around down one side.  In the summertime, we hang up some Boston ferns, fill the pots with flowers, dust off the porch swing at the far end, and place some comfortable chairs by the front door to sit in on those long, summer nights.  When the weather is not too hot, I go completely “retro” and replace my glass storm door with a screen.  Nothing beats coming out after dinner, hearing the screen door bang back into place, and sitting down with a glass of cold iced tea to read a little, say “hello” to friends and neighbors who walk by, or watch the sun slip over the mountains to the west.

My kids love the porch.  They sit on the steps and eat popsicles, bound up the street to play at the school playground (only two houses away), and sometimes (heaven forbid), they even sit with us and chat.  We watch town parades from our own personal viewing box in the spring and hand out candy to trick-or-treaters at Halloween in the fall.  At Christmas, I decorate the columns and place candles in the windows, the tree prominently welcoming the season from our front windows.   My grill is set up around the corner next to the swing, so I can use it year-round.  The porch is an extension of our house.  It truly is an outdoor living space.

If you have a front porch, you understand what I mean.  If not, find someone who does and spend and evening sharing theirs.  It’s well worth it.