Life On The Front Porch

When I was a kid, the front porch was where the family, and some times neighbors, gathered and chatted about happenings of the day. It was a time to relax, watch the little ones play and just enjoy being with each other. Sometimes we sat out there till the little ones had curled up in someone's lap and fell asleep and the old folks would tell stories about their childhood days. That was life on the front porch -- our favorite time of the day.

In my Folklore and Mythology forum, I started a thread called, "Front Porch Folk". It is a place to pretend and imagine we are back in the days when folks sat on the front porch, had shindigs, and all sorts of fun. It is a place where all are welcome and free to chat about whatever comes to mind.

These are just a few of the "pretending" posts that add a lot of fun to the Front Porch Folk thread in my forum:

Ol' Granpappy and I missed this ol' cabin and decided to move back home. I dusted out the cabin, spiffed up the front porch, potted some pretty geraniums, and got the place a lookin' just fine.

Granpappy is up the hill and back in the woods repairin' and cleanin' up his ol'...shed. I can see the dust a flyin' from the back porch.

Yesterday Granpappy and I gathered a ton of apples from the ol' orchard and I have been bakin' up a storm here. Got applie pie, apple brown Betty, tarts, dumplings, and caramel sauce to dip apples in. Come on over and help us eat it all up.

Bring your banjos, fiddles, tubs, spoons, washboards, anything you can play music on. Oh! and wear your dancin' shoes. We are gonna have us a good old-fashioned, foot-stompin', hoot-and-holler shindig!

Bring your friends. This is a place where we can pretend and put ourselves back into the old days when life was simple and folks gathered on the Front Porch. So..let go of the stress and daily tasks for a few minutes and join us for fun!
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We are gonna have us a good ol' fashion "Hooten nanny" -- hmmm... where did that come from? Lots of folk terms have come from and gone to obsurity. It will be fun to research that.

Right now I got to get out there and hoot and holler to the neighbors down the hollow to get their..um...wagons loaded with food over here for the shin dig.

The washboard will be great to add to the music. I will drag out Granpappy's wash tub and broom stick and check the string on it.
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Leapin' lizards! We don't need Granpappy a jumpin up and grabbin his 30 ot. I would not want to wake the Hatfields. They are fair to midlin' peaceable lessen the McCoys get riled up. Maybe we should wake the hounds and put them on duty then just sit roun' tellin' stories.
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Harvest time is coming up. Anyone gonna have some goodies to share on the Front Porch? I will be down in the paw-paw patch if'n y'all need me. Just give a 'hoot n holler'.
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Granpappy just plunked himself down in his rocking chair on the front porch and said, "I ain't movin'! I'm a gonna stay rat here and watch the young uns play."

Granpappy is tired. We have been working in the garden planting seeds, seedlings and all sorts of things. He just wants to sit and see what is happening.

I sat his cup and a pot of hot coffee on his little table and he asked for his banjo -- "In case I think of sumthin' good to sing 'bout", he said.
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Sometimes, I make up my own little songs to post:

Sittin' on the step of the porch
Just a watchin' ol' Granpappy sing.
His shed went up like a torch,
Now he's lookin' for something to fling.

Two thousand times we tried
To rebuild his shed again.
Many folks lookin' for a ride
To get here and help him stay sane.

I was sittin' in the mornin' sun
Still sittin' when the evenin' come
Watchin' the hounds run in...
Then I watch 'em run away again.
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And then there are posts about my real life in the desert:

I just heard Voices of the Thunder Beings off in the distance. I love thunder storms. When the Twins (Thunder and Lightning) prepare for battle the air gets so vibrant. Here in the desert the Thunder seems to roll on forever. So exciting!
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Folks post about all kinds of things. So, when you get a chance to get away from the grind of "real" daily life, come on over and join us on the front porch. For just a little while, escape reality and pretend with us. Oh! Don't forget to bring your banjo, washboard, fiddle, guitar, spoons, jug, mouth harp -- anything you can make music with.
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