Watching the sun go down on the front porch – have these days disappeared?

Watching the sun go down

by

Dorothy Graham Gast

My earliest memory is watching the sun set as I leaned against my grandfather’s wicker rocker while he held my little brother. I must have been three. Grandpa’s house faced west and we loved to watch the clouds change color and shape as the sun sank beyond the horizon.BlueSky

Grandpa might say, “Do you see the purple cloud that looks like an elephant?” and I looked among the shapes in the colorful sky to find his choice. Then we’d notice that the next cloud looked like frying pan and giggle at the thought of frying an elephant in a skillet.

When the last bit of orange sun sank out of sight, we’d sigh and look for the evening star so we could recite “Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight” so we could make a wish. As dusk settled objects lost their color and became black silhouettes against a blackening sky. We counted stars as they became visible and anticipated the call to come in and get ready for bed.

Before television and air conditioning, whole families escaped the evening heat in chairs on the front porch talking about the day, or plans for tomorrow. Whole genealogies were traced so often that small listeners could anticipate phrases and sentences describing their long dead ancestors.porch1

“Sunset and evening star” was about more than “crossing the bar”, but a regular part of living. It was a time of reflections, meditation, of sharing the beauty of nature and the sweetness of family harmony.

Now it seems only honeymooners and retirees grab the luxury of watching the sun go down.

 

Amazon.com – Read eBooks using the FREE Kindle Reading App on Most Devices

Try a trial Membership by clicking the link below. Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies & TV Shows Anytime – Start Free Trial Now

You can now give a gift of Amazon Prime  = click this link to learn how – Shop Amazon – Give the Gift of Amazon Prime

Do you love history? Then you must read – Historical Fiction Novels by New Alabama Author