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By Dave and Mary
Front Porch Appeal Newsletter
Issue #125 May 2022
Stunning tulips! Such beauty
Thank you for enjoying our newsletter this month!
May is here and so many of us have warmer breezes and spring-green buds and leaves everywhere!
Here in Nashville we certainly have colorful blooms in our gardens but also the pollen and droppings from trees.
Often we are asked how we keep our porch so clean.
The truth is, it takes tidying up just like a room in our house.
We dust off our rocking chairs and shine up our glass table often while the yellow pollen falls so generously.
But just a few more weeks and things will be better in that regard.
But it's worth it for time spent with morning coffee on the porch or afternoon tea.
So well worth it!
We can picture the stories told on this porch
Nothing like an old porch...one where you just know many people have enjoyed and spent hours in conversation or in deep thought.
Inside This Edition...
- Celebrating the Month of May
- So Thankful for Moms
- Imagine the Possibilities: A Porch Pergola
- The Value of Doing Nothing
- Porch Ideas Network - How to Extend a Small Porch
- Porch Entertainment - Lemonade on the Porch
- Inspiration and Tidbits - Enjoy the Journey
- We Appreciate Our Porch Sponsors
- Thank You As Always
If you're reading this and haven't joined our newsletter family, won't you please subscribe here and get our free Curb Appeal ebook.
Celebrating the Month of May
Beautiful rose-breasted grosbeak
The month of May brings bulbs in the garden to life, seeds sprouting, lawns greening up and porches calling our names.
And for us, we also see wonderful varieties of birds!
We are blessed to see quite a nice variety of birds.
Lately, we have had pairs of rose-breasted grosbeaks visiting our bird feeders.
And we have birds nesting in our bird houses, too.
Bluebirds to be exact.
They love our birdbath and Dave puts out meal worms for them.
Our Springtime Porch
Our springtime porch - the leaves have burst open
And now the trees have absolutely exploded in green.
Mother nature moves fast once the weather warms up.
A sweet view from the other side
Are you longing for spring? Or are you in the midst of glorious blooms and trees of solid green?
Here in Nashville springtime is in full swing, along with pollen and buzzing lawn mowers.
We widened our walkway and shortened our garden
A few weeks ago, we reconfigured our cottage porch garden because it was growing beyond our limits.
Some of the creeping plants were stretching and growing more than we ever wanted.
So after pulling out plants near the front of our garden, we increased the width of our walkway and lessened the size of our garden's footprint.
Since then, we've planted new perennials among some colorful annuals.
We removed some taller, older shrubs that were becoming more lackluster and replaced them with fresh, lower-growing perennials.
Oftentimes, less is more. Do you agree?
Here is our original walkway, from about eight years ago, before our garden became so full!
And you can get more walkway ideas here.
Happy Mothers Day to moms everywhere
Mothers are quite special and we honor them on Sunday, May 8th, 2020.
The two of us were both blessed with wonderful mothers and wish they were still here to enjoy the day with us.
We know they would love to sit on our porch and have a cup of tea.
"Motherhood ... is the glorious life force.
It's huge and scary - it's an act of infinite optimism."
- Gilda Radner
Dad and mom bullfinches taking care of their young
An attached front porch pergola roof covered with climbing vines
Pergolas are perfect over backyard decks or pads but did you know they work
really well as front porch roofs?
A front porch pergola is one of easiest and least expensive porch roof option.
Pergolas provide partial shade and can give you a little protection from the elements.
They are perfect for situations for two-story homes and and for those where a traditional roof is not feasible.
They can be added to almost any existing roof which makes them ideal for ranch homes
that have low sloping roofs.
Pergola porch roof options
We like pergolas constructed over porch extensions as well.
They are a wonderful addition over your patio area and can used upon which to hang outdoor fans, lights and even a porch swing!
An adjacent pergola and patio porch extension
give ample space for entertaining or relaxing
Please enjoy these pergola porch ideas.
Who wouldn't want to have a lazy afternoon here...
Oh, to do nothing but enjoy the porch.
If you're like us, we consider time on the porch well spent.
Good for the heart and soul.
Being busy is overrated sometimes.
Time on the porch is good stuff, do you agree?
The patio area extends the smaller porch
Extending your current porch or creating what we call a patio porch can add lots
of curb appeal and functionality to your home. It is easier than you may think!
We discuss things you need to consider like materials, roof options, landscaping, privacy, location, access, and more.
Listen to Our Audio Program: 00:18:20
Lemonade on the Porch
The best lemonade recipe ever
Our friends Danny and Donna make the best lemonade we have ever had.
Of course, it's made from good old-fashioned ingredients: fresh lemons, sugar and cold water.
We enjoyed a great barbecue at their home recently and were so happy that had two (yes, two) pitchers of their lemonade ready.
It's a treat!
Honoring Memorial Day
Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States armed forces.
In 1915, following the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, a physician with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, wrote the poem, "In Flanders Fields". Its opening lines refer to the fields of poppies that grew among the soldiers' graves in Flanders.
In 1918, inspired by the poem, YWCA worker Moina Michael attended a YWCA Overseas War Secretaries' conference wearing a silk poppy pinned to her coat and distributed over two dozen more to others present. In 1920, the National American Legion adopted it as its official symbol of remembrance.
Many Americans honor Memorial Day by flying the flag on the front porch and visiting veteran cemetaries across the country.
We honor all who have sacrificed their lives
Enjoy the Journey
So often we just can't wait for something.
Are you like me?
We can't wait for our flowers to grow.
We can't wait till we can spend time on the porch.
We can't wait for our weekend trip.
We can't wait for a loved one's visit.
But I try to remember much of the joy is in the journey.
The preparations.
The planning.
The imagining.
The anticipation.
The thinking.
I've learned that much of the joy and magic is in the journey.
A Smile for You
Porch Humor: We woke up this morning to find that someone had left a bunch of LEGO blocks on our front porch.
We didn't know what to make of it.
We value and appreciate our relationships with our sponsors. May sound corny, but it's true!
Our sponsors are like family to us - very fine, good people and we are proud referring their services and products to you.
They each have amazing business ethics and at the top of their game in what they can provide to you.
As we begin 2022 we wanted to make sure you were have access to these fine companies.
The Porch Store creates these wonderful porch swing beds
In addition to many other gorgeous products for your porch
Stop to enjoy the lovely little things in your world
The two of us appreciate you being in our porch family.
You're always welcome to send us pictures of your porch at info@front-porch-ideas-and-more.com
While we cannot promise it, we often feature your pictures in our newsletter and website and social media.
We thank you for stopping by and hope this finds you well this month.
Wishing you warm, sunny skies, gentle breezes and flowers blooming on your porch steps.
We are grateful for you!
We value our sponsors and the products and services they provide.
They are like family to us!
You're invited to be part of our Facebook community.
We share ideas with one another for decorating and using our porches.
We are blessed with over 17,000 followers and would love to count you among them.
Please enjoy browsing past issues of our newsletters right here.
Take a few moments of chill time.
Happy porch sitting from your friends,
Mary and Dave
Life is short. Enjoy your porch.
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Hi! We're Mary and Dave, lifelong DIYers, high school sweethearts, and we both love porches.
You've come to the right place for thousands of porch ideas.
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Hi! We're Mary and Dave, lifelong DIYers, high school sweethearts, and we both love porches.
You've come to the right place for thousands of porch ideas.
Not subscribed yet?
Our Newsletter, Front Porch Appeal
Learn more!
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Porch Humor: We woke up this morning to find that someone had left a bunch of LEGO blocks on our front porch.
We didn't know what to make of it.
We value and appreciate our relationships with our sponsors. May sound corny, but it's true!
Our sponsors are like family to us - very fine, good people and we are proud referring their services and products to you.
Please 
