Front Stoop Sitting

Geez... I've been front stoop sitting as far back as I can remember.  Things to be done on the front stoop are... mostly chatting (if you are with someone)... mostly pondering and relaxing (if you are alone).  I've been doing a lot of front stoop sitting this past Spring and Summer because of the new home construction going on behind my house, and wanting to be outside but away from the noise and dust.  

Our house is nestled in the woods on a cul-de-sac street, in which we are the only house on the street.  I LOVE THIS!!!  Our neighborhood which has big wooded lots, only has 16 homes in it... thus... it is very peaceful and quiet.  We get all kinds of wild life that roam around our yards... such as deer, wild turkeys, coyotes, and all sorts of bird life.  I can go out in the morning with my cup of tea and just sit quietly and watch as these animals go about their daily lives... and if I am real still and quiet they don't see me or know I'm there... but you let me so much as blink and off they dash back into the woods... so I usually try to stay really still and just watch.

My Dad has always loved just watching nature, and NEVER EVER wants to kill a thing... not even a spider or a snake... he would rather observe them from a distance and leave them alone.  But since I grew up in the country and lived on 8 woodsy acres... my Dad has had to kill several mice, snakes, and spiders (which I'm sure each one broke his heart) just to make sure I knew he would always save me and take care of me whenever I needed.  Heck... I remember very clearly one fall morning when my cousin (Debbie) and I were walking down the stone wall of my driveway and encountered a cow/barn snake who was really minding his own business... my cousin steps right over it and keeps going... I come to an instant stop and SCREAM as if I had actually been bitten.  My Dad... who is a night owl and a late sleeper... did not appreciate being awaken at that early hour by my piercing scream... the kinda of scream that terrifies the heart of any parent... but bleary eyed and barely dressed... out runs my Dad to save me from that totally harmless snake!  I also remember sitting on our front porch with my Dad watching a spider spin it's web in the corner of the porch.  My Dad would get so absorbed in watching that spider... that he would actually throw flies and bugs in the spun web just so he could watch what the spider would do... and I believe he checked on that web everyday until it was blown away by the wind.  So nature watching is one of my favorite past times to do on the front stoop.

Front stoop chatting is one of the best places to just solve all the problems of the world!  When my girls where in elementary school, my neighbor (Kim) and I would sit on our front stoops every afternoon with a glass of iced tea and chat while we waited for the school bus to drop the kids off after school.  We would hug our kids, hear about their day, give them an after school treat, and then we would continue to stoop sit and chat while the kids played in the yard together until time to go in and start homework and begin making dinner.

But as I stated earlier... new home construction has been going on behind our house since this Spring, and because it is noisier and dustier out back, I started going out on the front porch for the peace and quiet.  I enjoy reading, talking on the phone, sipping my tea, or just laying on the concrete to absorb all the warmth stored up from the hot sun.  It is a very relaxing place to spend a few reflective moments, or an hour reading a book.  When my Mom and daughter (Lauren) came to care for me after my bunion surgery a few weeks ago, we all spent lots of time sitting on the front stoop visiting... my mother worked on her hand sewing, Lauren and her 19 month old son (Henry) played in the yard, and we just talked, laughed, and soaked up the warm rays of the sun.  It was sooo nice to share one of my favorite spots with them during their visit.

Fall has arrived and Winter isn't far behind, so my front stoop sitting for this year is almost to and end.  But I will continue to front stoop sit while I read, think, chat, or just observe nature for as many warm days as I have left before the first snowfall... after that I will stay inside and huddle up to the warmth of the fireplace and watch nature from inside, counting down the days until I am back outside on my front stoop next Spring!