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The Art of Porch Sittin'

© Dorothy Hill

I’m afraid that we in Mississippi are finally catching up with the rest of the nation and are now fast losing the art of “porch sittin’.” There’s nothing like being able to sit out on your porch in the cool of the day; watch the sun set; see the young’uns chase lightenin’ bugs; and, of course, swat mosquitoes.

Porch sittin’ is different from patio sittin’ or deck sittin’. Patio and deck sittin’ are usually private affairs done at the back of the house. Porch sittin’ is a public event done up front where you can see and be seen. You can wave at your neighbors and they can wave back. Sure you can have company on your patio or deck, but that’s invited company, planned company. That’s different from drop-in porch sittin’ company.

Front porches have long been the neighborhood meeting places. You go for a walk, you spy your neighbor porch sittin’, and you pause. Now you can approach the porch and be offered a chance to sit a spell. That’s real nice if you’re hot and tired. The chance to “sit a spell” gives y’all a chance to swap gossip. If you don’t have an hour (or longer) to kill, then you may choose to stay at the road and still swap pleasantries. You have to raise your voice a little, and everyone for the length of the street in each direction can hear the conversation, but it’s easier to walk away when you need to go.

Before we go any further, it is important to state that according to Mississippi men, women swap gossip and men swap yarns. After having overheard some of their yarns, let me say that men swap gossip also.

Now visiting with you neighbors is harder in the country, but it can be done while porch sittin’. Nowadays in the country, drivers will honk when they see you porch sittin’. That’s their way of saying “howdy” without stopping. Some will roll the window down and wave also. These are the folks who are willing to brave the dust of a gravel road just to say hello.

The best furniture for porch sittin’ is a swing or a rocker. The gentle movement of each stirs the air and has a cooling effect without actually having to fan yourself. Comfortable wicker furniture is also good. The right furniture makes curling up with a good book or writing a letter to your cousin Bubba a pleasant way to spend time on the porch. A glass of cold ice tea can complete the setting, but if you really plan to spend some time reading or writing while porch sittin’, make it a pitcher of tea instead. Even if you live on a plastic furniture income and prop your feet on a swiped milk crate from the local quick stop, you can enjoy porch sittin’.

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