The house I grew up in had an open front porch and a screened-in back porch. I think we evenly divided our time between the two.
The back porch was a place to play on warm, rainy days when I was a child. And as I grew older, I’d help Mama shell “butterbeans” (not limas) and snap “snaps” (not green beans) in the summer. This was before my mom had a clothes dryer, so in addition to the outside clotheslines, there was also a short one on the back porch.
In the winter, after playing in the snow, this was where wet boots were discarded before entering the house.
I never realized until recently, as I was looking through old family photos, that I have childhood pictures of both Marshall and me with the back porch in the background.
I was around two years old when this picture was taken. At that time, the back porch had two doors and two sets of steps. Later, we stopped using the door on the left, and those steps were demolished.
This picture of Marshall was taken when he was around three years old . You can tell the condition of the house had deteriorated over the years. A kitchen window is visible in the picture, and just to the right is the kitchen door. To the right of where Marshall is standing, there’s the corner of a flower planter. My mom used to plant nasturtiums there.
I don’t recall whether I took this picture of Marshall or if it was taken by someone else in the family. Why a picture of him on the porch steps was taken, I’m not sure. He was probably in a hurry to get inside to see his “Goggie”.
Simple pictures from a “few” years ago can certainly stir up some sweet memories, can’t they?
these days of mine 