Episode 23: The Front Porch Swing in the Afternoon Sun — 5,000 Core English Words

📖 This lesson is part of the comprehensive series 5,000 Common English Words Through 46 Real-Life Conversations by Echo Stories English.

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Chapter twenty-three. The front porch.

It is the first really warm weekend of the year. The sky is blue, with one small white cloud, and the front porch of the house is full of sun. Emma has wanted a porch swing since the day they moved in, and today they are going to buy plants and flowers.

Listen to how people talk about the weather, ask for advice at a garden center, and enjoy a slow afternoon.

Emma: Come and sit out here. It's perfect.

Ryan: It's warm! What's the temperature?

Emma: Twenty-two degrees. It's supposed to stay like this all weekend. No rain until Tuesday night.

Ryan: Then I won't need my umbrella, or my hat. In December I couldn't see my own feet out here.

Emma: Nice day, isn't it, Rosa?

Neighbor: Beautiful! They say there might be a shower on Tuesday. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Ryan: She's right. Normally I work on Saturdays. I'd abandon the whole thing for this.

Emma: You seem different out here. Slower.

Ryan: I am. It's quiet. Listen. A dog, far away. A bird. Nothing electronic.

Emma: Do you know what this porch needs?

Ryan: A swing. You've said it a hundred times.

Emma: A hundred and one. A wooden swing, on two strong chains, and pots of flowers on every step. Pink ones, white ones, and something green that climbs.

Ryan: I looked at swings online. They're particularly expensive when they're new.

Emma: We don't need a new one. There's a dealer near the river who sells old garden furniture. Rosa told me about him. He buys locally, at auctions, and repairs everything himself.

Ryan: Then let's go and see him this afternoon. And the garden center on the way.

Staff: Good morning. Can I help you find something?

Emma: Yes, please. I'm looking for flowers for a front porch. It gets full sun from the morning until about three.

Staff: Lucky you. A lot of things love that. Are you an experienced gardener?

Emma: Not at all. I'm a complete beginner. I need something that will survive.

Staff: Then start with these. They're strong, they flower continuously from now until the fall, and they're hard to kill. We have them in pink, white, and red.

Emma: They're lovely. How often should I water them?

Staff: In warm weather, every second day. Just touch the soil. If it's dry, water it slowly, in the morning or at night. Not in the middle of the day.

Ryan: Do they need a big pot?

Staff: A medium one is fine. I'd avoid the plastic ones. They crack in the winter, and they're harmful for the roots when it's hot. Clay is a more sustainable alternative.

Emma: And is there something that climbs? For the upper part of the porch?

Staff: This one. It grows fast, the flowers are white, and the smell in the evening is like heaven. Give it a string to follow, and it will multiply.

Emma: Will it come back again next year?

Staff: Yes, providing you cut it back in the fall. I'll write it down for you.

Ryan: What about the grey things on the leaves of our old rose? Is that a problem?

Staff: Bring me a leaf. It's probably nothing destructive. It's an unavoidable phenomenon when the air is wet. I can give you something for it.

Emma: Thank you. We'll take six of the pink, six of the white, the climber, and four clay pots.

Staff: Good selection. I'll help you carry them to the car.

The dealer's yard is beside the river. There are tables, chairs, gates, and, at the back, a wide wooden swing.

Emma: Ryan. Look. That's it. That's the one.

Ryan: It's beautiful. Where did it come from, originally?

Emma: The man said it's from an old farm. He was the only bidder at the sale. Nobody wanted it, because one board was cracked. He replaced it, freshly painted it, and sealed the wood, so the rain can't get in.

Ryan: How much?

Emma: A hundred and ten. With the chains.

Ryan: That's fair. I won't even try to beat the price. Can it hold two adults?

Emma: He says it can hold four.

Ryan: Then we'll take it. I merely need a ladder, a drill, and a brave friend.

Emma: Call Simon. He's competitive about tools.

By six o'clock, the swing is hanging from the porch roof. The speed of the work surprised everybody. Simon has gone home, and the flowers are in their pots.

Emma: Sit. Slowly. Does it hold?

Ryan: It holds. Oh. This is good. This is really, really good.

Emma: I told you. It's an improvement on the whole house.

Ryan: I have to yawn. It's the swing. It has a tendency to make people sleep.

Emma: Look at the landscape from here. The river, the rocks, the evening lighting on the water. I could draw this every night.

Ryan: Your creativity never rests.

Emma: It does. It's resting now. Can we talk about something?

Ryan: Is it a serious discussion?

Emma: A little. I'm curious. Would you ever want a dog?

Ryan: A dog? I haven't thought about it since I was young. Why?

Emma: I walk past the shelter on my way to school. There's a grey one, with white feet and a lot of hair. She's very quiet. She looks at everybody, and nobody takes her.

Ryan: Do we qualify? Do they check?

Emma: They visit your home. They look at your surroundings and ask a few questions. We'd rank quite high, I think. A fence, a garden, and one of us at home three days a week.

Ryan: It's a big change. A gradual one, maybe. Could we go and meet her first?

Emma: That's all I'm asking. They'd let us take her for a walk, or a ride in the car.

Ryan: Does she swim? Does she chase things? Will she eat my shoes?

Emma: I don't know. She's a dog, not a human.

Ryan: Then let's go tomorrow. What do they call her?

Emma: Feather. Because she's so light.

Ryan: Feather. That's a good word. I'm disgusted with myself. I've already said yes.

Emma: You haven't said anything. You just smiled.

Ryan: Same thing. Look at that. A bird with enormous wings, over the river.

Emma: And sand on your shoes, and flowers on the step. This street has such racial diversity, too. Every race, every age, every kind of family. Nobody tries to exploit anybody. I didn't know a workplace or a street could feel like this.

Ryan: It's dense with good people. Sit closer. They can all see us, and I don't mind.

That is the end of chapter twenty-three. There are flowers on the steps, a swing on the porch, and a grey dog waiting at the shelter.

Keep these with you: "Nice day, isn't it?" "It's supposed to rain later." "How often should I water them?" "Will it come back next year?"

In the next chapter, a cloudy day sends them up the stairs, to the one room of the house they have never really explored.

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