My front porch view

 My 2011 "garden" :) Miraculously my peppermint made a comeback and put out new growth. 

 It rained on Thursday, at long last after weeks of no rain. I celebrated by making a cup of hot tea and enjoying it on the front porch, listening to the rain on the bushes. I could close my eyes and almost imagine that I was back in the country, but then some city noise would break my reverie and I'd remember where I was.
 I love porches--I mean literally love them. No matter how many times I've redesigned my dream house, all of the plans and revisions have one thing in common: a huge front and back porch, or maybe one that wraps all the way around the house. They do so much to help a little house feel larger, and they are the best places to have coffee or tea (hot or iced) in the evening. I can't imagine what it would be like not to have a porch to escape to :)
 One of my favorite porches to visit belongs to a neighbor that lives across the highway from my parents. She and her husband were married for 61 years before he passed away and my some of my earliest memories are of visiting Dock and Mrs. Davey and drinking Koolaid on their back porch. It had a wooden floor and a porch swing at the south end, rocking chairs in the middle, and wicker chairs on the north end. There was always a breeze blowing through and combined with the shade from the massive live oak trees, it was the best place to sit if you were outside on hot days.
  Another great thing about porches is their functionally. What better place to have a crawfish boil, or shuck corn or shell peas?
Right now my front porch is only about 4x6.5 feet, but I love it and am thankful for it, and it will do until I get a bigger one. Til then, I'm quite content, but I'll  still dream :)