Many of us live in small towns…towns in which most of the homes are trimmed with porches. It’s a simple pleasure to find a porch with rockers swaying in the breeze, or a wonderful old porch swing with plump pillows…just the right spot for an afternoon nap.
Some porches in our town are dressed-up with regal pillars alongside urns overflowing with ferns and ivy.
However; driving outside of town, we find smaller porches with flower-covered latticework, Old Glory waving in the breeze, and enamelware pails filled with cheery red flowers.
Still other porches are quite simple in nature…practical rain barrels and only a tin star for decoration. 
Most of us can remember fondly one special porch. And whether it was at Grandma’s house in the country, or a friend’s white clapboard house in town, each one has its own personality. They were places where families gathered to catch up on the latest news, or relax at the end of a busy day. And yes, even a few romances began on a front porch.
My husband’s parents lived on 100-acre farm before his father retired. It was an Amish-built home with a wide front porch, a wooden porch swing, and several of those terrific, springy metal chairs from the 1950’s. We would enjoy sunsets, twinkling fireflies, and just catching up. In those days we lived in the city, and a weekend in the country was a wonderful escape.
Years later, I still feel the pull of rocker-lined porches. Not only do they offer welcoming shade from the heat of the day, they’re still an ideal spot for visiting, or simply watching the world go by. At harvest-time, our son will rush to the porch and watch the combines bringing in the soybeans or corn. He’ll pull out a few of his favorite John Deere tractors and pretend to harvest right along with the real ones…memories being made.
Things haven’t changed much from times past, porches are the same today…a simple pleasure no matter whether you find yourself on a porch in the big city, or on a country road.
Mary is a Midwest farmgirl who enjoys the simple pleasures of living in the country. “For us, living where there is plenty of room for gardens, animals, and for kids to play and explore is the best kind of life.” You can visit Windy Meadows Farm at www.windymeadowsfarm.blogspot.com.
