Longing for a simpler life: Time spent on the porch

Johnny Long of Morehead City, N.C., grew up in the Beulah community in Surry County, N.C., and as a recent guest columnist for The Mount Airy News, he wrote about summertime living “on the porch.”

 

To get your bearings, Surry County abuts Virginia, and the rolling, foothills countryside is rural in nature. 

Remembering what it was like during childhood, Johnny said that in the early evening “our family would just naturally migrate to the porch. We didn’t plan it, we didn’t talk about sitting on the porch. It just happened. Porch living was our way of life. 

“Dogs played around in the yard but soon walked up on the porch to be petted and rubbed. We talked to them just like they were humans. I think they probably understood most of what we were saying.”

 

“Neighbors would often drop off a ‘mess of beans,’ several ears of corn, a basket of apples, a blackberry pie or other assortments of food. Mom and dad always had a pitcher of ‘iced tea’ for anyone on the back porch. Now, tea meant sweet tea. There was no such thing as unsweetened tea. That would be unheard of; it just didn’t exist,” Johnny said.

 

“Of course, there was also a Pepsi Cola, a Big RC, a Big Orange (Nehi), a Cheerwine or another bottle of pop that was available for the neighborhood kids. Yes, it was ‘pop.’ The word soda or soft drink wasn’t in our vocabulary.” 

“A front porch wasn’t quite a public room, but really close. It was a meeting ground between our family with friends and neighbors. Everyone could be seen; you could hear the sounds of neighborhood life. Neighbors knew one another and what was happening in our community. And because neighbors talked, laughed, and enjoyed each other’s company, news traveled fast,” Johnny wrote.

 

“When Dad heard about a plumbing problem, a leaky roof, a sick cow or horse or someone in need of help, he just got up, jumped into the truck and took off to offer help. Dad was really hesitant to ask for help, but eager to provide help. It was just a way of life. I think all of the families in the community really lived with this type of independence, but with compassionate hearts.” 

Times change. Decks and patios with their jumbo-sized gas barbecue grills aren’t the synonymous with the porch. Johnny added that the “proliferation of television,” caused families to “move indoors where rooms were air conditioned in the summer and heated in the winter. The living room recliner and the remote control eventually replaced back and front porch living. In fact, porches are now mostly little more than architectural decor.” 

“Now, it’s usually the den, basement or family room…where families gather and relax in private. It is rare that neighbors and friends drop by for uninvited chats and sharing of neighborhood news.” 

“In many ways, the faster the pace of life, the more wealth a family accumulates, the more isolated and lonely we become. We won’t admit it, but our family, our children and our friends are the biggest losers. We need our community far more than we are willing to admit.” 

Johnny concluded his column by expressing hope that “the joy of front porch living is still alive and doing well in some areas of North Carolina.”

 

Well, there have been “porch sightings” in the Down East section of Carteret County, according to local storyteller Rodney Kemp. Except they don’t call ‘em porches. 

They’re pizers. We’ll go there next time.