Friday, July 10, 2015

The Front Porch

 

When I was a youngster, one of my summertime pleasures was getting to go to my grandmother's house in town for a few days.  Perhaps a week.  The house above is where she lived when I was very young.  

Back in those days, the porch had a railing across the front and a porch swing.  The house was divided into two apartments, with grandmother living on the left side and her tenant on the right.  

Many evenings would find my grandmother and I sitting on the front porch and Mrs. T would join us.  We usually sat there until it was bedtime.  No television watching in those days.  Plus it was much cooler on the porch with the summer breezes than in the house that didn't yet have a/c.   The women would visit and I liked to try to guess what color car would be the next one to drive by. 

A silly little game I played was trying to fool Mrs. T into thinking I had a twin sister.  I would go in the house and change into a different shorts set and comb my hair different and come out and pretend to be my twin.  lol!  I don't think Mrs. T was fooled for a minute, but it was a fun game for me to play.  Isn't it funny, the things we remember? 

I also spent many an hour roller skating around the block.  There wasn't a great deal of concrete on the farm until our house was built with a basement.  So, I took my clip-on skates and had lots of fun skating.  Anyone old enough to remember clip-on skates?      


The house above was the next house that my grandmother lived in.  I was older and in high school by then and wasn't much interested in roller skating any longer.  I did sit out on the porch with my grandmother in the summer when I visited her and I did visit quite often.  Gran always greeted me at the door with huge smile on her face and a hug.  I miss those porch visits.   

So many of the older houses have front porches.  

I suppose porches weren't added on to new houses as often after air conditioning became popular.  I remember the first house I lived in, before it burned down when I was 9 years old.  It had a front porch and my mother often sat in the swing, if there was a breeze, just to cool off during the heat of the day.  She also sat on the porch and snapped green beans for canning or worked on some hand sewing. 
    

She also sat on the porch swing while my brothers and I were chasing fireflies during those hot summer nights. 


I've always loved porches.  Many new homes have them now and if I ever move again I hope the next house has one. 


This is my new front porch.  Sans a roof.  For new readers, we had foundation work done over a year ago and the old porch was torn out.  We don't really sit out here much, preferring to sit on the patio in the back where we can gaze over the Back 6 and see the pond.

Many of you have wonderful porches.  Sue has one of the most beautiful porches I've seen anywhere.  Does anyone take time to sit on their porches like we did in the olden days?  I still think it is one of summer's simple pleasures.  

Happy Friday to you and have a nice weekend!
xo Cheryl

39 comments:

  1. Your new porch is lovely!! I'll bet you and your hubby will find a few opportunities to sit out there to soak up the newness and charm. I enjoyed your reminiscences of porches you have enjoyed. There really is something about a porch...

    May your weekend provide a few moments of porch-sitting! :)

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  2. I would enjoy sitting out in your new porch. (I have always enjoyed watching cars go by.) It looks very pleasant with your pretty and patriotic plantings. Sue does have a beautiful porch! I have a deck and a small side porch. I rarely sit there...it needs something, which I have not yet figured out.

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  3. No, I don't want to sit in your porch...on it!

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  4. Hi Cheryl, There you go taking me back in time...(and I love it!) My grandma lived in town too and had a huge front porch. She had some big old wooden rocking chairs, that we'd sit in and talk. She raised a nice garden and we'd shuck fresh grown peas. I always wished we had a front porch like that. But like you said, they quit putting porches on and now their coming back.

    I sure do remember those skates. (Actually I have a pair hanging in the garage...lol) We didn't have but a small amount of cement...(there was a sidewalk from the house across the driveway to the the milk house) So..back and forth I'd go! Lol

    Have a nice weekend!
    Gert

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  5. Oh, I sit on our porches...both front and back. I sit on the back porch of the morn, and then one or the other through the day. No matter how hot it gets, I spend some time there. That is one of the things I miss most in winter.

    We always broke beans, and cleaned corn on our front porch, too....when I was a kid. I think we usually peeled apples or peaches inside. I had not thought of that till now, but bet the flies/gnats would have been too bad to do them outside.

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  6. Cheryl I loved reeading yourp ost today as you remembered the day when you were young with your grand mother. Those were very precious days, In northrn ireland outhouses are not like yours and don't have porches however my granny had an open fronted tiny summerhouse at the bottom of her garden and we sued to sit in it. She would make fresh bread, make butter and make jam. Then she would cut the warm bread, put on the slightly salty butter and gorgeous jam and we would eat it in the summber house surrounded with rambling Roses. AH memories. Have a lovely weekend.

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  7. i never had a front porch on any of the many houses we lived in. but my grandmother did... she had 3 screened porches and i spent many happy hours on them... of all the porches you have hear today, the one i would choose to live in is the first one. love the house and porch.. we spend all our time in the back yard by the pool now...

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  8. Hello Cheryl, love the memories of your at your grandmothers. I used to love staying with my grandmother, we use to bake a lot together. I love porches too, The house I grew up in had a porch with a swing. Bach the older neighbors sat up the porches and just talked. Have a happy weekend!

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  9. I generally prefer to sit inside away from the heat, humidity, and bugs! I definitely remember skates with a key. I was quite a roller skater at a nearby roller rink up through junior high school. You have some great memories and I love your twin story!

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  10. I love this post Cheryl...brings happy memories of my Grandmas porch. When we built our home, a porch was a must have. Recently I got a swing ;-).

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  11. LOVE beautiful old porches... I still pine for our old one. ;) blessings ~ tanna
    ps love the memories of times with your grandmother.

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  12. Great post . . .
    I remember sitting on my grandparents front porch.
    And I also remember the milk truck going by pulled by a horse. I was usually home sick a few hours into the grandparent visit but I did like the sound of the clomp clomp of the horse/milk truck.
    And I skated with clip on skates too!

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  13. Cheryl
    What wonderful memories you have, I enjoyed hearing them!!
    I, too, spent time with my g'mother in the summer and have such sweet memories of those days.
    I love front porches, that are so quaint. But we sit in our screened in porch out back too.

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  14. Great memories of your Grandmother! My husbands Grandmother had an enclosed front porch...in the summer the windows were all open, it was one of my favorite rooms in the house, it faced south. Perfect spot to read have some lemonade and take a nap! I don't have a porch only a patio but I wish I had one! :)

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  15. i used to go visit the elderly neighbors and sit on their front porch steps while they were in their rocking chairs. good times.

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  16. Impost of our houses (5) didn't have a porch big enough to sit. Besides they were on busy streets, so we always sat in the backyard. Now a days we have a back deck that we love to sit on.

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  17. Those are the sweetest homes and memories. Thanks for sharing!

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  18. Cheryl - What precious memories you have of being with your grandmother! I love porches also. Just something serene about a porch swing and watching the world go by.

    Thanks for sharing such a sweet part of your life.

    Judy

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  19. Cheryl, I loved seeing all the porches. You touched my heart when you spoke of the great times you remembered with your grandmother....I hope my grands think of me that way. I also like the twin game, that was so funny. That sounds like something our Emma would love.. Blessings, xoxo,Susie

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  20. Your memories are very similar to mine. I do remember those skates. My mom and grandma both would sit on the porch with neighbors to string beans etc. We would sit out until bed time because it was so much cooler. I remember guessing the color of the next passing car too! Have a wonderful Sat. night.

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  21. Cheryl, I loved this one. It brought back memories. I used to visit my Grandmother and we would sit out on the porch swing and so string beans and peas. I loved porches and if I could have a different house I would want one for sure. We mainly just sit out on our patio. I did love that you could sit out on a porch and drink lemonade and visit instead of watching the TV. The sweet simple pleasures of of yesteryear are not around as much anymore. I miss all of that.
    I really like your new front porch; it looks awesome.
    Blessings for the memories today. I loved my precious moments with my dear grandmother. She passed away when I was twelve and it broke my heart.
    Sending hugs your way and blessings too!

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  22. What great memories of a much gentler time. Really liked your twin idea. What sold me on this house is the wrap around porch. There is never a time of day I can't find a cool spot.

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  23. Hi Cheryl~

    What great memories!! I love the idea of no TV . . . until I don't have one... ;0) I love the little game you played with the neighbor, sounds like something I would do! Your front porch is beautiful, but looking out the back, over the pond, sounds like way more fun!!

    Great pictures, and I'm glad the houses are still standing. So many of the older homes here are gone by the wayside, taken down for . . . bigger and so called, better things!

    Hugs,
    Barb

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  24. I have lovely memories of my grandmother's porch. Your lovely post brought some of them back. As a firm believer in preserving and protecting old houses and farms, I was glad to see places like these still standing.

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  25. this is a great post......remembering those things of yesterdays. When I was growing up, we had a big front porch and I too remember shelling peas out there with my mom. Our home has a large back porch and Sam and I each have a big rocking chair that we rock in.....Special times, just sitting there and rocking with your loved one. Thanks for bringing back memories and for sharing the good ol' days that you remember..

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  26. It's a gorgeous collection of houses...porches are something that we don't see much of in our part of the world...many of the style of houses around here don't have them. So imagine my enthusiasm when we bought this house, and it has a front and a back porch...we love them. And would spend much more time sitting a spell, if the bugs were not quite so vicious. But early spring, and late summer/fall are good times to hang out on them.

    I love the twin story....lol.

    Jen

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  27. It's a gorgeous collection of houses...porches are something that we don't see much of in our part of the world...many of the style of houses around here don't have them. So imagine my enthusiasm when we bought this house, and it has a front and a back porch...we love them. And would spend much more time sitting a spell, if the bugs were not quite so vicious. But early spring, and late summer/fall are good times to hang out on them.

    I love the twin story....lol.

    Jen

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  28. I am a lover of sitting on the porch,at the lake I a happy just sitting in my rocker on the porch. Beautiful porches Cheryl, Blessings Francine.

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  29. What a lovely post this is Cheryl!
    Love to hear people's memories....you are indeed lucky!
    Enjoy your new week ahead...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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  30. Lovely pictures. I love porch sitting. I am linking this post on my blog with your permission. We're a group of porch lovers too.

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  31. What lovely memories and beautiful houses. Porches are indeed a simple pleasure that reap many rewards. I have always wanted a covered one too.

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  32. I don't have a porch Cheryl but I would love one. You have shown some really nice ones here and thank you for sharing those lovely memories.

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  33. I loved reading about your memories of front porches, especially the memories of sitting with your grandma...and I loved the story about you teasing the neighbor about having a twin! What a clever little girl you were! I live in a modest sized house with a tiny front porch. It's barely big enough for a couple of chairs and a table with plants on it, but when the weather is nice, I do like to sit out there a bit and daydream or read.

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  34. I remember clip on skates :) I love to sit on both our front and back porch. I really enjoyed reading about your memories and the fun you had pulling that trick on Mrs T.

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  35. I remember summers at both sets of grandparents..either swinging on the swing or shelling peas..oh gosh I have shelled a ton of peas! When I have the family over, we usually all end up on the back porch. I always thought it was a southern thing!

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  36. here in southern california, front porches are a lost art and a dying/dead breed. Very sad. and hi! :) I blog at:

    https://mysunnynook.wordpress.com/

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  37. What lovely memories of your grandmother and her front porch. I laughed at your antics of the make believe twin. Your own front porch is beautiful! We enjoy our new back deck and pergola a lot and often sit out even though we can't see out front, but, being on a busy country road it doesn't really matter. It's quieter in the back too. Have a lovely day!

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  38. Cheryl, I just love this post. Some of your porch memories sound a lot like mine. I don't have any memories of a grandma, unfortunately, but of visiting my aunt who had a big wrap-around porch. Later when I was still a young girl, we covered our front stoop and had a porch of our own. Mom and Dad always sat out on that porch if it wasn't too hot...and speaking of porchs, when our home renos are complete, we should also have a nice front porch to sit on! I am beyond thrilled! :)

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  39. Our home in the VA eastern shore has an open and covered front porch and we have spent many an afternoon and evening sitting on rocking chairs there.

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