Barbara Tabak actually gasped when I told her that my husband and I have a front porch.

This is a professional decorator, mind you. Shes seen and created interiors that would make magazine covers.

But when it comes to exteriors, the front porch is a rare breed.

The front porch is great, but the demise of the front porch really corresponds with the loss of neighborly interaction, Tabak said, hitting the nail on the head. Weve all moved to the back porch and lost that front porch feel.

Sigh. But hope is on the way. The National Association of Home Builders reports that by 2015, front porches will be standard in new homes. NAHBs Home of the Future uses resources efficiently and features a front porch, smaller square footage and a two-story design.

Hmmm. Sounds like the Home of the Future steals a few ideas from my home. You know the one built when William Howard Taft was president and a ship called the Titanic was just blueprints on a drafting table.

These last couple of weeks, we are all marveling at our sudden spring. Even without a bad winter behind us, were celebrating. Scarves and mittens go back into mothballs. T-shirts come out of storage. Women everywhere, afraid of cringing with embarrassment the first time they slip into sandals, are scrambling to schedule pedicures.

And were getting outside. Yards are getting cleaned of their winter debris. One photographer I know is planting lettuce already. When friends came over the other night, we had pre-dinner drinks on the front porch. Conversation seemed more sparkling from a porch swing, surrounded by warm evening air and the sight of tulips and daffodils pushing out of the ground in random but cheerful profusion.

Its no secret that outdoor living is integral to todays lifestyles, but Tabak, the decorator of Decorators Den in Susquehanna Twp., said that the industry is really catching up to those of us living in northern climes.

Outdoor furniture has greatly evolved from the folding vinyl strap pieces we had in the past, she said. Now we have teak, steel, rattan, wicker. It looks like outdoor furniture but for northeastern homes. Usually, outdoor living was confined to Florida and the south.

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Commentary: Porches make comeback as hot spots for homeowners

Find out more about the Stillwater co-housing project.

A year ago, the drawing hung on a wall in a mid-century, ranch-style house - all that the Oakcreek Community had to show for itself.

Now you can look out the window and see that same row of cottages, albeit with unfinished roofs and unpainted walls.

As construction approaches the halfway mark, Stillwater's experiment with "co-housing" has become more than theoretical.

"In a side-by-side comparison," says Oakcreek homeowner Nadine Olson, "you can see it coming into being exactly as we imagined it."

In a co-housing neighborhood, the residents own the entire development and run the project themselves, controlling every detail, from arranging finances to hiring an architect.

When home buyers begin moving into Oakcreek this fall, they will own their individual houses but also share ownership in the wider property.

A lot of day-to-day life - including some, if not most, of their meals - will happen in the "common house" near the center of the compound.

"It's more than a place to live," says Olson, who recently retired from teaching Spanish at Oklahoma State University. "It's going to be a community - a real community."

The first of its kind in Oklahoma, Oakcreek follows the example of similar projects in Colorado, Virginia and a handful of other states.

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Oakcreek Community co-housing project near Stillwater reaches halfway point for build

By Nathan Gardner

On an unseasonably warm March night, students on Greek row gathered on porches and filtered in and out of the Fraternity and Sorority houses, but on this particular Thursday, the song of bluegrass pickin rang down Third Street.

The Kentucky Kai Five is a bluegrass band comprised of five University of Louisville students. The two brothers, Zach and Andrew Barger had the bluegrass spirit instilled in them from their father at a young age. Zach is an education major that plays mandolin and Andrew is a civil engineering major playing banjo. Chris Millet, a music therapy major, strums the guitar and sings lead vocals, as well as working as an RA on campus. Music education major Kate Tyree plays fiddle and gives music lessons at the School of Music. Chemical engineering major Daniel Duda plays bass guitar and is an apparent racquetball and ping pong star.. Unfortunately for this particular jam session Andrew was busy tutoring and I missed on what the other band members describe as an amazing banjo picker.

Most people dont think of college students and bluegrass music going hand in hand, but the Kentucky Kai Five have taken their bluegrass roots and blended in a youthful style to make their music both fun and relevant to college students. Imagine Jimmy Buffet singing lead for the Foggy Mountain Boys. They take a traditional bluegrass style and insert laid back lyrics about college experiences.

Kate Tyree plays the fiddle on the porch of the Beta Theta Ri house as the Kentucky Kai Five fill the air with bluegrass sounds.

In the song Father Time, the band sings of a weekend at the beach that may never come again. Its a nostalgic song that makes one wish the good times would never end. The band uses the beautiful vocal harmonies synonymous with bluegrass music to open up the song then breaks into the boom-chicka-boom sound of the guitar and the gentle flow of the fiddle. The song tells a story of a weekend filled with sunburn and empty glasses on the beach. The finger lickin pickin of the mandolin takes the spotlight halfway through the song to make you swear youre in the middle of Appalachia.

Junior education majoy Zach Barger traces his roots to his father's bluegrass background.

The band has written over 20 original songs, but also plays a variety of well-known cover songs from Folsom Prison Blues to Breaking the Law.

Currently the band is focusing on writing new material and brushing up on the old stuff. They have a show this week at the ACPA Conference on March 24, and are looking to get hired for more gigs this summer. Be sure to check out The Kentucky Kai Five on Facebook by searching for: The Kentucky Kai Five or scanning the barcode below with your smartphone.

ngardner@louisvillecardinal.com Photo: Michael Baldwin/The Louisville Cardinal

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Red blood, bluegrass: band of UofL students lives Kentucky’s musical legacy

Photo by Johnny Jackson Air temperatures in near downtown Hampton reached regularly the upper 70s by mid-morning most of last week, as flowers and trees continued their early bloom.

Automobiles and porches throughout the Southern Crescent are coated like powdered donuts in a bakery, as flowers blossom and tree foliage blooms into full canopies on this official first day of spring. But the pollen-dusted outdoors, glowing a green-yellowish hue in the sunshine, is giving allergy sufferers fits.

Some Dos and Donts to follow during the pollen and mold season for allergy sufferers:

Do keep windows closed at night; use air conditioning, which cleans, cools and dries the air.

Do minimize early morning (outdoor) activity when pollen is most usually emitted (between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m.).

Do keep your car windows closed, if you drive to work or school, while out shopping, etc.

Do stay indoors when the pollen count or humidity is high and on windy days when dust and pollen are whipped about.

Do take your vacation during the height of the pollen season to a place more pollen-free (such as a beach).

Dont mow lawns or be around freshly cut grass; mowing stirs up pollens and molds.

Dont rake leaves (it also stirs up molds).

Excerpt from:
Spring has sprung: Blooming flowers, green trees, bring pesky pollen

Daily Gospel

Published : Tuesday 20 March 2012

1 After these things was a festival day of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is at Jerusalem a pond, called Probatica, which in Hebrew is named Bethsaida, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick, of blind, of lame, of withered; waiting for the moving of the water. 4 And an angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond; and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water, was made whole, of whatsoever infirmity he lay under. 5 And there was a certain man there, that had been eight and thirty years under his infirmity. 6 Him when Jesus had seen lying, and knew that he had been now a long time, he saith to him: Wilt thou be made whole? 7 The infirm man answered him: Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pond. For whilst I am coming, another goeth down before me. 8 Jesus saith to him: Arise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9 And immediately the man was made whole: and he took up his bed, and walked. And it was the sabbath that day. 10 The Jews therefore said to him that was healed: It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for thee to take up thy bed. 11 He answered them: He that made me whole, he said to me, Take up thy bed, and walk. 12 They asked him therefore: Who is that man who said to thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 But he who was healed, knew not who it was; for Jesus went aside from the multitude standing in the place. 14 Afterwards, Jesus findeth him in the temple, and saith to him: Behold thou art made whole: sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to thee. 15 The man went his way, and told the Jews, that it was Jesus who had made him whole. 16 Therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, because he did these things on the sabbath.

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John 5:1-16

With spring just around the corner, streets in Mahanoy City will be swept during the next two weeks.

In addition, officials will walk through the borough to identify properties where owners will be told to clean porches and yards.

The borough has secured the use of the street sweeper from the Northern Schuylkill Council of Governments for the two weeks.

Parking will be prohibited on the streets scheduled to be swept from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day. Vehicles that are not moved on the scheduled days will be ticketed.

The parking restrictions for next week are:

n Monday - North side of Center Street, south side of Mahanoy Street.

n Tuesday - South sides of Center Street, D Street and 14th Street.

n Wednesday - North side of Mahanoy Street and both sides of Main Street.

n Thursday- North side of Market Street and south side of Pine Street.

n Friday - South side of Market Street and north side of Pine Street.

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Borough setting example with cleanup

MAHANOY CITY - With spring just around the corner, Mahanoy City will get some sprucing up with the sweeping of streets during the next two weeks.

In addition, borough officials will make their walks in the borough to identify properties to tell owners to clean porches and yards.

The borough has secured the use of the street sweeper from the Northern Schuylkill Council of Governments for the two weeks, with a schedule that will be advertised informing the public where parking restrictions from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. will be in effect.

The street sweeping parking restrictions for March 19 to 23 are:

- Monday - north side of Center Street, south side of Mahanoy Street.

- Tuesday - south sides of Center Street, D Street and 14th Street.

- Wednesday - north side of Mahanoy Street and both sides of Main Street.

- Thursday - north side of Market Street and south side of Pine Street.

- Friday - south side of Market Street and north side of Pine Street.

The parking restrictions for March 26 to 30 are:

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Spring cleaning to begin in Mahanoy City

15-03-2012 06:40 The Porch Company Nashville's Design

Originally posted here:
The Porch Company Nashville's Design - Video

Living in Cleveland Park in Northwest Washington is a dream come true for residents who want to enjoy the charm of some of the citys most picturesque streets, where visitors exclaim over the Victorian, Cape Cod, Craftsman and Colonial-style homes with their old-fashioned front porches, fillips of architectural whimsy and lovely gardens.

The tree-lined side streets of Cleveland Park extend between Wisconsin and Connecticut avenues, where residents can enjoy the delights of city living, including shops, restaurants, movie theaters and such Washington treasures as the National Cathedral and the National Zoo. An abundance of bus and Metro service links Cleveland Park to Dupont Circle, downtown Washington and Georgetown.

While many of Cleveland Parks homes date back 80 to 100 years, a handful of newer homes have been designed for seamless incorporation into the neighborhood so homeowners can enjoy the full range of modern amenities along with an architectural nod to the past.

The home at 3517 Porter St. NW, on the market for $1,849,000, was designed and built in 2005 by an architect who opted to live in the property. This Craftsman-style cedar-shingle semidetached home has mature trees, professional landscaping and a side entrance with a porch with columns. An arched gate provides an entrance to the fully fenced backyard, which also is accessible from French doors off the family room.

The multilevel flagstone patio provides sitting and dining areas as well as garden beds. The owners even have tented the area for special events. A detached one-car garage leftover from the home that previously was on the site has been restored by the owners, who also added storage along one wall. An off-street parking space, accessible through a wide alley with two entrances, is adjacent to the garage.

The home, which looks deceptively small from the outside, fits easily into the surrounding community. Inside, it has four finished levels with more than 4,100 finished square feet. Each room has been beautifully finished with high-end materials, including hardwood flooring on all three upper levels, built-in cabinets and bookcases, and detailed crown molding. Each of the homes three fireplaces has a detailed mantel. Myriad windows on all four levels fill the home with natural light.

The front door opens into the foyer, which includes hardwood stairs to the upper levels and is flanked by the living room and dining room. The living room includes a gas fireplace and a triple window facing the front garden. On either side of the fireplace are built-in cabinets with both wood and glass doors.

Two columns frame the entrance from the foyer into the formal dining room, which also has columns flanking the entrance to the central hall. The dining room includes a double window facing the side garden and a third window that frames a view of the front porch. The dining room includes chair-rail molding in addition to the crown molding found throughout the home. Every room also has recessed lighting.

The hallway provides access to a coat closet, stairs to the lower level and a powder room with hardwood flooring and a pedestal sink. At the back of the house are an open center-island kitchen, breakfast area and family room. The kitchen has pendant lighting over the oversized island, which has a granite counter, a breakfast bar and plenty of additional storage.

The kitchen includes custom-made wood cabinets, granite counters and high-end stainless steel appliances, including a Viking range, double wall ovens, a built-in microwave, a dishwasher and a Viking refrigerator. The breakfast area has a chandelier and is open to the family room, which has a fireplace with a mantel and a built-in entertainment center as well as additional cabinets.

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Resale of the week: '05 home fits Cleveland Park

Decks with Style, serving North Virginia, explains how homeowners are jazzing up screened porches to make outdoor living more enjoyable.

(PRWEB) March 15, 2012

In 1992, the U.S. Census noted that 42 percent of new homes had one or more porches. By 2008, that statistic had risen to 60 percent. In fact, deck replacement, the addition of a new screened porch, and front porches are three top remodeling trends on the rise.

Last year was our biggest year for screened porches, says Greg Deans, operation manager of Decks with Style, which specializes in unique deck, patio, and porch designs. People want to enjoy the outdoors, but without putting on a SPF 50 sunscreen, sweating, and swatting profusely.

Screen porches have been around for years but have changed from Grandmas porch with open rafters and a ceiling fan centered over a patio table. What was formerly a practical venue for family dinners and gatherings have become a luxurious amenity for homeowners. Screened porches can offer solitude, calm and quiet or the rooms can be used as playrooms, shelter for pets, or entertainment rooms.

Porches have definitely become more stylish, Greg notes. Last year we built a jaw-dropping screened porch with western red cedar and a 30 foot chimney.

The following are some porch upgrades homeowners may want to consider:

An outdoor kitchen or a fireplace can be added with proper venting.

With so many recent advancements in new products and installation practices, Decks with Style believes its become more important than ever to educate their clients as to the many options available and involve homeowners in the building process. Their experienced team of designers can skillfully add screened porches, decks, gazebos, and patios to an existing home seamlessly as if the improvement had been there all along. We enjoy hearing our customers tell us that it looks and feels as if our work was part of the original architecture, Greg says.

To learn more about this business with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, please visit their website, http://www.deckswithstyle.com.

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Ashburn Porch Builder Shares Insight into why Screened Porches are Making a Big Comeback