The View from My Porch Window

I've said before that one of the things that I love about living here is the social aspect. People gather in little groups all over the place. There are two groupings in particular right outside our house.

Everyday there are people who gather around the entrance to the store, and also at the ice cream stand. They play games, cards is a favourite. They shoot pool. (although that is less now as it is getting colder so the outdoor tables are covered.) They gab. They laugh. They share life together.

We aren't really a part of any of it, we just kind of come and go and say hi when we can. Of course there was the night we went out and hung with the one group until the early hours of the day... see below. But really the time I feel most connected to them is when I am making supper.

That might sound strange, but we live on the first floor, and our stove is in a porch. So, when I am making supper then whole neighbourhood can see me in there stirring the soup, or the veggies, or flipping the pancakes. And, I can see them.

My favourite people to watch (well, not in a bad way, but they are RIGHT there! I can't help it!! Besides, it's culturally acceptable here to stare at people, so there) are the people from just upstairs. I'm most familiar with the Grandpa and Grandma- they log hours and hours hanging out at the store, and walking to and fro in front of our apartment. Usually they have their little 2 year old grandson with them. He will almost always smile for me.

For awhile when it was warmer outside, when I was making supper, they were almost always just outside the window. They would give him a little snack at the cement bench or lift a pavement brick back for him to play in the sand underneath it or let him ride on his little plastic thing -a -ma -bob with wheels.

Then others would come home from work greeting each other outside, stopping to chat. And the funny thing- as soon as it got warm here last spring, all these babies popped up everywhere with their grannies. So, the little two year old from upstairs has little friends to play with now.

Anyway, all this to say, yeah, I enjoy the part of life here where people are out, living life in the presence of each other, in the presence of their neighbours... and I love my little view of it through my porch window!