Front Porch

I have happy memories of my grandma and grandpa's house.  I was #20 out of 21 grandkids. Sometimes I got to stay with them by myself or with some of the younger cousins.  Sometimes it was a hive of activity with lots of cousins, aunts, and uncles.

My grandparents passed away before I was a teenager, so my memories are few, but the ones I do have are special and maybe unique. These memories are specific to the porch.

• Marigolds would be planted in front of the porch.  Always marigolds.  (And, I always plant some marigolds in my garden and think of them.)
• The front porch was huge and where lots happened. (Although, I found photos of it, and no... it wasn't huge at all!  It was small!)
• There was a welcome mat in front of the porch.  Every evening, they'd put some scraps and vegetables then wait.  We'd have to be still and patient, but eventually the rabbits would come.
• Later there was a ramp put up beside the porch steps for two cousins who became paralyzed and needed wheelchair access to the house. My #21 cousin and I had so much fun on that ramp.
• Grandpa would sit on the porch and peel his daily apple.  He'd use a pocket knife and go around and around the apple making one long peel.
• Fly swatters hung on a nail.  Whether playing cards, swinging, waiting for rabbits, or having a snack, swatting and shooing flies was just part of life.
• Anytime a car passed by on the dirt road, they'd discuss who it was and where they might be going or where they'd been.

For my companion piece for my Creative Companion group, I thought about memories I had for each of my senses.

• Taste
• Noodle dumplings
• R.C. Cola
• Smell
• Food cooking 
• Marigolds
• Touch
• Bitter cold Meyer Creek
• Cane-bottom, ladder-back chairs
• Hear
• Laughter
• "The Price Is Right!"
• See
• Barn, garden, & smokehouse
• Bookshelf, where I found and read all the Little Women books.

This month's topic for Creative Companions was "A Memory that Resonates Through Time."

Original Oil Painting on 10"x 10" Wrapped Canvas