With the return of warmer weather, I spent this past week prepping my front porch for another season of use.  I swept off the winter dust and dirt, washed a window or two, and even cleaned off the porch posts with some soapy water to rid the area of its winter grime and wear.  Then it was off to the shed to retrieve the furniture and cushions, getting them placed just so, followed by the return of my house plants to their usual outdoor spots on the coffee table and side table.

Yes, I also have a back patio (which I haven’t repopulated with its accoutrements as of yet), but there’s something about a front porch that I just love.  My home was built in 1927, and it has a huge, covered, wrap-around porch that has room for me to house my outdoor furniture, my grill (nothing like being able to grill in the middle of winter – or in a rainstorm), plenty of space for some nice hanging plants (I love to get big, giant Boston ferns, which seem to thrive in the areas just under the roof eaves), and I even have a porch swing at one end (which doesn’t get near the use and love it really should).

Sitting out on the porch in the cool of the early morning with a steaming cup of coffee and watching the town wake up is a bit of bliss.  The birds are chirping and the sun hits the mountains to the west of me just right.

There’s also nothing like an evening porch sit, where I can read a book, enjoy a cocktail and conversation with my wife, or just watch the cars go by, giving a nod or throwing my hand up to acknowledge people I know and recognize.  It’s better than anything on cable TV.  Bonus points for sitting in a chair outside during a gentle spring or summer rain shower, listening to the raindrops bounce off of the roof or the street in front of the house.

The porch becomes my favorite “room” of the house in warmer weather, and when I put in the screens into the front storm door, you’d swear that ‘Aunt Bea’, ‘Opie’, and ‘Andy Taylor’ could be the next folks coming out of my house to join me for a sit, the banging of the screen door as it closes quickly becoming one of my favorite sounds of the season.

Sure, it’s a little folksy and hokey, but it’s one of the things I love about small town life.  People walking their dogs will always say “hello” or ask me what I’m reading, and friends will sometimes say “saw you out on the porch last night” if they drove past and caught me briefly napping in my chair.  Occasionally, folks traveling on Route 40 even pull over to the side of the road and ask me for directions.

So if you drive by my place over the next few months, glance over at my porch to see if I’m out and about.   If you see me, give me a wave, or better yet – stop in and sit a spell.  There’s plenty of room.