One of the changes my family experiences in the fall is that we don’t hang out on the porch as much. Once in a while, when there is a warm winter day, we bundle up and head out to one of our favorite places. Our porch is a second-generation porch where many stories have been shared—some good, some not so good. It overlooks the Lehigh Valley with a gorgeous view of scenery ranging from balloons floating by to rainbows high in the sky. We have glider rocking chairs and we rock and glide to the beat of spring, summer, and early fall.

When family and friends come over, they head right to the porch, anxious for a cup of hot chocolate at Grandma and Grandpa’s or a coffee seasoned with lots of love. We eat meals on the porch with or without a tray while sharing personal news, politics, and everyday stories. One night, we watched the trail from a rocket launch in Virginia! That is how far into the night sky we can see. Both children and adults blow bubbles from the porch, and smile as they float through the magnificent sky.

We have several bird feeders in the front yard, and the birds are part of the events constantly happening. We see barn swallows, cardinals, blue birds, robins, and so many more. Here is a great website where you can “visit” many of the birds we see and hear: birdwatchinghq.com/common-birds-in-new-jersey/. This site has taught us the ability to learn about each bird and their sounds as they chatter away. They are particularly loud and are raucous in their behavior when they are waiting for my husband to feed them. It always makes us laugh!

From our porch, we see deer, groundhogs, rabbits, and fox. We watch the neighboring fields as the corn is planted, grows tall and green, turns brown, and is eventually harvested. We can experience the march of the seasons as the trees blossom and then turn vibrant autumn colors before the leaves fall. In the spring, summer, and fall, we can look out over Easton and see the storm fronts approaching. In the winter, we can stand and watch the snowstorms develop.

One day, I walked out to the porch and there was a deer standing directly in front of the porch steps. We just stared at each other, then he ran off. I looked it up on Google and found that when you see a deer staring at you in your front yard, it’s a sign that you can overcome challenging circumstances with a sense of calm and dignity. Deer will help us remember to be kind to ourselves and others. Interesting message, because shortly after my deer visit, I had a challenging issue that required me to act calmly and with dignity and especially be gentle with myself.

God willing, we hope to be able to continue sitting on our front porch for many years to come—waving to our neighbors; talking to the birds; blowing bubbles; having meals there; and rocking away the stresses of the day! If you are ever in the neighborhood, come ROCK with us!