The Front Porch
by Tony Taton

Friends, neighbors, walkers, and visitors drop by and the porch is the gathering area where we elect people to office, second guess the wise men and clean up all of the world’s problems. Many people walk, run, jog, or ride bikes, and you could set your clock by them since they are always on time each day. Usually, there is a breeze blowing off the lake, and when we sit, we can see the lake for it is only a few hundred feet away.

We watch the fishing fleet, sailboats, lake freighters, wave runners, and wind skiers all as they pass by. A large blue spruce makes noise, sucks up the carbon-dioxide from the cars, and is a mecca for many birds, rabbits and squirrels; all use it for nesting and cover from predators.

We have a large flowering crab apple tree in our yard, and a great number of birds visit it each year. Bluebirds, robins, doves, hummingbirds, and a host of other small birds come, too. They sit up in the trees and sing their happy songs. The doves wake us up on time in the morning. Our flower containers attract the hummingbirds and the bees, for they like the nectar. Reading the paper, a good book, or listening to music is always a joyful way to relax at day’s end on the porch. Mother Nature ends her storms with the covenant rainbow. One really gets to read the weather as the dark clouds appear over the lake, and all is quiet before the blowing and rain appear. Then the good Lord sends his rainbow to let us know the storm is over.

If we remember the first rainbow was created for Noah and his family by God, as a covenant to him after the great flood. A host of people pass by each evening before dark. A husband and wife, he always has a cigar in his mouth and they walk very fast. A woman and her big dog named Cocoa are steady walkers. There is also WN Nunn, on his bike each day. Lee and his wife and their dog are there daily for their walk.

Richard Bastien is there with his little dog named Scuffy, who is a little character that goes into over-drive automatically for a dog biscuit and drink of water. First she will stand up on her hind legs and do a little dance, while turning around. We call this a wonder woman dance. Dick and Sue are friends of my wife, Marilyn. I fish with Dick whenever I don’t want to clean any fish. They are everyday visitors. After Scuffy eats and drinks, Dick and I take care of the world’s problems.

There are a number of these little white dogs in our area, and another woman walks hers daily by our house; she has two dogs and she calls them “the boys.” Bishons have a perpetual smile on their faces and are extremely friendly. When returning from the Pacific after WWII, I slept on a cot on the front porch in the summer months with a mosquito net over me.

Yes, our front porch holds a special place in my heart, especially when I think of our family, neighbors and friends who have left us with only our memories of them. How good is the rest and peace of a cold drink or the taste of a dish of ice cream on your front porch. The porch is the best place to sit, relax and let the fast pace of today’s world go by.

Doctor George Wilcox used to say, “Sit, let your hair down and relax. It is the best therapy one can get and it is free.” The very best time is when our son, Matthew, is here with his family. We sit, discuss and plan for later, as their little fellow climbs on my lap and goes to sleep.

When God gave man the ability to build porches, I am sure he meant it for family meditation, therapy and compassion for each member of the family.