"When dawn spreads its paintbrush on the plain, spilling purple... ," Sons of the Pioneers theme for TV show "Wagon Train." Dawn on the mythic Santa Fe Trail, New Mexico, looking toward Raton from Cimarron. -- Clarkphoto. A curmudgeon artist's musings melding metaphors and journalism, for readers in more than 150 countries.

Monday, February 17, 2020

Front porch kind of day

"Front porch weather," today's watercolor, 11 x 14 140 lb. d'Arches cold press paper
Remember when we had front porches?
Many had swings, hanging from chains, where you could sit with a girl friend or boy friend. Or as you got older, just a chance to go out in the cool late afternoon and watch the weather and the birds.
It always seemed to be spring on those days...days of wildflowers, birds chirping, gentle rain falling.
They were neighborhood places too, where people walking in the neighborhood would stop and visit for a "spell."
Now, we've moved into the privacy of fenced back yards, patios and "porches," when we decide to get out of our air-conditioned, privacy-alarmed  cocoons. And nobody comes by to visit. Don't get me wrong...I enjoy our humble back porch, the solitude, occasional gatherings of friends and family, the birds and more, but it's not the same.
But on an almost spring day like today (one month to spring), I think about those swings, the front porches, the fresh air--when it's springtime in your heart.

1 comment:

  1. We had a big front porch in our house in Utah. My parents had their martini time out there when the weather was good. Nowadays that would be quite a scandal.
    I remember when families would pile into the family car and go visit somebody unanounced. Nowdays that would be the height of awkwardness.

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