I‘ve spent so many years living in the suburbs, prior to this, and I never spent time on my front porch for one simple reason: neighbors.
It’s not that I didn’t like my neighbors. Some of them were quite nice. However, it seems that, when they see you outside of your front door, they see it as an invitation to socialize. Perhaps they think it’s impolite to not speak when they see you out there. I really don’t know the reason. What I do know is, when I’m trying to relax, engaging with people outside of my household is the opposite of what I care to do. l For this reason, I felt like I had to keep my leisure space restricted to the backyard, in order to have some peace.
In building this house, however, I realized that I had something I haven't had in a very long time—space & distance from other people. I could sit outside listening to the birds & frogs or have a cup of coffee while watching the sunrise, without someone inserting themselves into those moments.
As soon as the propane stove was up & running, thus allowing me to move the generator off the porch, I started the process of creating a space where I could both work & relax.
You may remember that I previously asked for suggestions about colors to paint the front door. After reading all the suggestions submitted through the blog & all the socials, I ultimately settled on red with a lovely blue on the ceiling.
The house was built facing east, so I have a lovely view of the pond and the porch is completely shielded from the hot midday sun. So, it is lovely to sit out there virtually any time of day.
I hung a mosquito net across the front to protect from bugs, so that I can work remotely from my chair or just sit & watch hummingbirds at the feeder, no matter what time of the day or night.
And, of course, I also have the door mat that should be at every home. 😆
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