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By Dave and Mary
Front Porch Appeal Newsletter
Issue #117 May 2021
Flags and Father's Day Edition
Welcome to our June 2021 edition of Front Porch Appeal.
We are so grateful to have you here.
Not only is this month the beginning of summer, but also Flag Day and Father's Day.
We also hope you're getting to enjoy your porch more and more each day - without it being too hot where you live.
Our special love goes out to all the loving dads in the world.
You do so much for your families and we are ever grateful for our own Dads.
And may we honor Flag Day, June 14th, and remember what our flag means to us.
Inside This Edition...
- Honoring Dads Everywhere
- Commemorating Flag Day and the 4th of July
- Welcome to Our Summer Front Porch!
- Porch Pictures from Our Delightful Readers
- Just in Time for Summer
- Useful Gift Ideas for Dads
- Steppin' On Out - Guide to Building Porch or Deck Steps
- Thank You as Always
Honoring Dads Everywhere
"Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad."
- Anne Geddes
My dad was a WWII vet who never talked about it.
He didn't get past the 8th grade and as the story goes ran away from home one time.
His mother found him and tanned his hide all the way home!
My dad had hands of steel from years working in a factory and never once did I ever hear him complain about his job.
I'm sure it paid little and was probably not the best working conditions at the time.
My brother and I always knew where he stood without him having to tell us. He believed in hard work, doing it right, and instilled that in both of us. We
began working part time jobs at the age of 13 without being told to do so. We paid for our cars, insurance, gas, clothes, etc., from early on
and willingly did so without complaint. It is just what you were supposed to do.
Dad instilled those values in us by example. Work hard, do things right. Take care of yourself and your family.
Although he did get mad trying to get the rats nests out of our casting reels! And when mom said, "wait till your father gets home" you
knew it wasn't going to be your best day!
And as Anne Geddes wrote: "it takes someone special to be a dad" and ours sure were.
A father is neither an anchor to hold us back nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding
light whose love shows us the way. unknown
Our dads have passed and Mary and I miss them greatly every day. We are left with fond memories that we each hold dear.
And we're very proud of the dads that our sons have become.
The best gift you can give your dad is your time.
One of my greatest regrets is not taking time to be with him more.
And a porch would be a great place for it!
Commemorating Flag Day and the 4th of July
"I believe our flag is more than just cloth and ink.
It is a universally recognized symbol that stands for liberty, and freedom." John Thune
June 14th is Flag Day and a perfect time to fly Old Glory from your porch.
Flag Day is celebrated on June 14th since that was the day Congress officially recognized it as the flag of the United States.
Flag Day usually comes and goes without a lot of fanfare but it is the perfect day to fly Old Glory from your porch!
In observance of Flag Day, here are a few interesting facts:
Flag Day Facts
Flag Day was invented by a teacher, 19 year old Bernard J. CiGrand, in a Wisconsin one-room school house 1885.
Flag Day became official in 1949. Bernard spent 50 some years writing in support of making it a national holiday
and died 17 years before it became official.
The flag has been changed 27 times. The final star, for Hawaii, was added in 1960.
The flag is normally flown from sunrise to sunset and should not be flown at night unless illuminated.
Although Betsy Ross sewed the flag, the designer of the American flag was Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
There are six American flags on the moon. Five are standing, but Neil Armstrong's fell over.
Colors matter. Red stands for hardiness and valor. White symbolizes purity and innocence.
Blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice.
Old Glory should never touch the floor or the ground and when
hung on a wall or window the blue field should be in the upper left corner.
The United States flag always flies at the top of a staff above any other flag.
You are a Vexillologist if you enjoy the study of flags!
Flying High on the 4th of July!
Porches decorated for the 4th of July!
Time for grilling burgers, lighting sparklers in the front yard, watching fireworks, and eating watermelon on the front porch with your flag flying in the breeze.
It is definitely a time for family and fun and the 4th is a perfect time to gather together and celebrate the American spirit.
Decorating your porch for the 4th of July is easy to do and fun for the entire family. See lots of ideas and projects you can make this
year to make it really special.
Welcome to Our Summer Front Porch
Our summer front porch is calming with blues and pops of yellows.
We think it looks nice on our home.
Do you try to take your home's colors and styles into account when decorating your porch?
Please take a look at the far end of our porch.
Our little turkey friend "photo bombed" our picture and we don't mind one bit.
This little fellow visits us regularly so he feels he is part of the family.
That gorgeous yellow begonia?
A gift from our kind neighbors leaving on vacation and it couldn't be more perfect.
How about a nice cool glass of refreshing lemonade?
Our friends Danny and Donna make this wonderful homemade-lemonade.
We have a happy wreath on our front door for the summer.
It's simply a metal frame with strips of fabric tied all around it.
Remember rag wreaths?
The fabric has lemons on it!
And then we wrapped some pink ribbon around the wreath for a pop of color.
Here's a close-up of the art Mary painted for our porch.
The large wall art is hanging in between our front porch rockers and the baby piece is at our front door.
Both done in acrylics on masonite board. Easy peasy.
Porch Pictures Our Readers Shared with Us
Thank you so much to our readers who show share their pictures with us.
We're so appreciative!
Courtesy of Toni Goodrich
When we saw Toni's porch, it reminded us of a truly genuine porch, one where you'd be happy to put your feet up and while the day away.
Courtesy of Toni Goodrich
We love how Toni incorporates her personality with her porch, with things near and dear to her heart on and around her porch.
Thank you to Christina Boykin for sharing
Who wouldn't love such a spacious and welcoming porch as this?
For so many reasons (the view being one), we want to sit here and enjoy a glass of freshly brewed iced tea with Christina.
Stop by here to not only see Christina's porch but also several other inviting porches on mobile homes right here.
Thank you to Mary Beth Costigan for sharing
Mary Beth's kind son gave her this beautiful planter.
Isn't it so pleasant to see fresh greenery and flowers on your front porch?
Just in Time for Summer
It is shaping up to be a great summer and the perfect time to enhance the look of your porch and home. It just so happens our sponsors have
three ways in which to do so and thought we would share them with you.
Sophisticated. Elegant. Functional.
Want to make a more dramatic impact on your porch?
Porch Elegance
No matter the size, changing or adding a porch balustrade (porch railings) will enhance the appeal of your porch and home immediately.
For the discerning homeowner, an almost maintenance free balustrade selected from a variety of styles or one of
your own design will give your home a distinguished appeal to be enjoyed for
years to come.
Custom railings are perfect for all types of porches
You have a beautiful home; why not make it extra special and distinguish it from all the rest!
We invite you to visit our sponsor, The Porch Company, to browse their porch store.
Screen Doors are to Front Porches as Sugar is to Lemonade!
Although you may have never heard the "slap" of an old screen door as you ran out of the house to play, the
screen door is still a most welcome feature on many homes, especially in spring, summer, and fall.
Ours never quite shut right, the screen bulged out from always using it as the handle, and sometimes
we put a piece of tape over a tear where our dog scratched it.
As iconic as that might be, the more discerning person in me now wants a screen door that is a little
more sophisticated and designed to eliminate many of the problems typical screen doors pose.
If you need a screen door that is engineered to almost perfection, will complement the beauty of your
home and will last a long time so you no longer must think about it each time you see it, we think we have found it!
Sophistication Like No Other
Use this visualizer from our sponsor, PCA Products to see possibilities for your next screen door.
We have toured their production facility and seen firsthand how their doors are constructed which is the very reason why we feature PCA Products on our site.
We could not find a better front porch screen door to recommend.
A Touch of Trim
Remember the TV advertisement slogan - a little dab will do ya?
Like Brylcreem (a hair product for men), just a little exterior house trim can change the appeal of your porch and home.
Exterior trim is an easy way to add interest to your porch whether you are building or replicating a Victorian-style porch
or just want to make it uniquely yours by only adding a few brackets to your porch columns.
Trimmed Out Front Porch
There are several different types of gorgeous trim you can use alone or in combination to create a very unique and appealing front porch.
And why not visit the company who has been making handcrafted porch trim since 1978.
Our fine sponsor, Vintage Woodworks.
Exterior House Trim Nomenclature
Stepping On Out!
Whether you're building a porch or a deck this summer, step construction is usually a must.
It is actually easier than it looks if you understand the process and calculations.
Years ago I was building a deck for our neighbor and having finished,
called for the final inspection by our local codes department.
He was fine with everything until he saw the landing at the bottom of the steps.
I had forgotten I needed a 4x4 foot landing; mine was just shy of that.
Fortunately, I only needed to add a few more pavers to reach the driveway
which he said could be used as part of the pad. Lesson learned.
Once you know how many steps you will need and lay it out on the stringers, all that is left is cutting and installing (and making sure the landing
is to code)!
Use our handy stair calculator and our installation overviewfor your next stair project!
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See our disclosure policy.
Better Than a Coffee Cup - Useful Gift Ideas for Dads
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
If you make a purchase through affiliate links on our site, we earn a commission at no cost to you.
See our disclosure policy.
Thought we'd share a few of the Father's Day gifts I received because I use them all the time and your dad (or husband or son) will too.
Amazing tool to ensure you keep all of your fingers when using table saws and other sharp rotating shop instruments.
Say what??? Protect your dad's hearing with these state-of-the-art ear protectors.
A most useful tool; I use mine all the time for a variety of reasons. Inexpensive but amazingly useful.
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Thank You As Always
True southern charm
We leave you with this beautiful porch we saw in St. Augustine, Florida.
Porches are relaxing. Porches are friendly. Porches are the perfect place to enjoy this time of the year.
We are ever so grateful for your loyalty, your readership with us, the emails you send us, the pictures you share.
You are the one who makes our porch site possible and we thank you!
May you take the time to enjoy your porch with your family and friends.
Or just to get a bit of time to yourself to read, listen to nature's beautiful sounds and enjoy a glass of something perfectly cool and refreshing.
The two of us appreciate you and may God bless you. Till next time.
Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful fathers in the world!
Thank you, Dads, for all that you do for your families.
For your hard work, your caring, your doing, your time with your family, and so much more.
We appreciate you and salute 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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As an Amazon Influencer, we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also earn commissions from other companies where are are participants of their referral programs.
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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.
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