Our Old Front Porch, Special to Us

Sunday evening we planted green beans near the house. Father’s Day brings me back down the path where seed were planted and some of my fondest memories were made. Good times that don’t happen anymore.

Several years ago I told you about our old front porch at the home place -- a special place to our family. Snapping bushels of pole beans was one of my favorite activities there. Here bush bean is the preferred choice.

Our old front porch wasn’t anything special, but it was ours and we saw it’s beauty and worth.

One summer long after I grew up I helped my elderly father build a large and heavy wooden step for the old weathered front porch. I remember that project so well!

The master of make- do rummaged through a pile of old lumber. He found some usable 2 X4’s and 2X6’s. Next the safer of this and that and almost everything grabbed up his stash of nails and screws that he housed in a little banded wooden key ,in the feed shed. He pulled out a goodly amount of primitive hand tools and laughed about not having his inability to tell his helper neither their uses or history.

He was a collector of priceless keepers, including old rusty nails and screws and spread them out on an empty burlap feed sack. He sorted through and searched out the best of the lot.

The beagles came in from a chase in the spills, in the meantime. A couple from the pack chose to take a nap on the broken-down old worn out step we pulled away from the work site.

We began to work with the hand saw. He cursed some and I held back the tears ,when he complained about my failure to do things his way.

Grandpa Siner’s hand saw my failure to do things his way. The old hammer with the weathered handle and dinged head fit my left hand just right.

When we drove the last nail, I have to tell you we were proud, darn proud and grinning, broadly.

He patted me on the back and boasted, “By golly, Laurel and Hardy built a fine step.” I painted the step the next day, battleship gray and after several hours of drying time, lawn chairs were back in place. My mom and dad down with their handy helper to snap green beans…

Our Old Front Porch

Thinking of yesterday

Visions of my past

Memories of our old front porch

These I hold steadfast

It was a gathering place

for our family and our friends

A place where we could rest awhile

And tie up some loose ends

Sometimes we would snap

green beans

While we sat around

and talked things through.

We would laugh at nothing, discuss the world

And lie a little too

Our old hound dogs would leisure

Lying listlessly at our feet

Mom would offer Kool-Ade

To refresh us from the heat

The sparrows would be nesting

In the corner by the door

My dad would let them

Until he could not stand it anymore.

With broom in hand he’d knock them down

Then they’d build another where it had been.

Mother served on that old front porch.

And a lot of it was for me

Mary Lou

It welcomed strangers

Who came knocking on the door

And ushered in the rain and snow

And yes, the old front porch was about a lot of

That don’t happen anymore