Another Night on the Porch

Perfect porch night. It started raining around 7 p.m. Bit of a thunderstorm with heavy rain at first, but now it’s just a steady rain. The rain broke the heat wave we’ve roasted through the last week. It’s cool again, thank God.


You can hear the rain dripping on the leaves and pouring out of the spout. Crickets are singing and lightning bugs are zipping. Since everyone else has their windows closed tight, I don’t hear any blaring TVs or radios. I get to enjoy the sounds of a summer night. Nothing more relaxing than listening to rain and crickets while watching for lightning bugs. I'm even sipping lemonade and eating watermelon. I am Southern, hear me drawl.


I’ve pretty much moved out here this summer. There’s a lamp on the table, so that I can read in the evenings. The cats have moved out here, too. We’re getting some flying bugs inside the townhouse, but that just gives the cats more toys to bat around.


There’s a leaf I always stare at when I’m zoning on the porch. It has a hot-pink squiggle across the top left. It usually takes me a second or two to find it. Once found, I can stare at it for quite a while, as I empty my brain or work on a story idea or chat on the phone.

Here’s a photo of my porch, from the office. As I type this, I'm sitting in the chair you see, but I have it turned to face the trees.


My monitor is sitting on my great-grandfather’s desk, which is in desperate need of refinishing. I’m looking for a computer desk so that I can move that equipment to the other side of the room. Once that’s done, this will be my writing area. It’s the perfect spot since I’ll have the breeze from the porch, but I won’t be distracted by the trees and the chipmunks and the lizards.

Expect great words from that corner of my world.

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