We de-cluttered our front porch over the summr so that we could sit out there to read and work. It’s always been a cut-through area for us, a spot where we kick off our shoes and heavy coats on our way into the house. But with all four of us at home over the summer, using the large and sunny screened-in area as a real room seemed a smart way to add living space without all the mess and expense of an actual renovation project.

What we didn’t anticipate was the choice eavesdropping opportunity this would present, not to say we’re trying to be snoops.

The porch is screened in and we’re right there, in plain sight.

Yet two people who walked by had this exchange in front of the house, taking note of the Wellesley Historical Commission plaque on the front that indicates our house is a zillion years old.

First person: “I don’t know why they have a Wellesley plaque on their house… this is NOT Wellesley.”

Second person: “They probably found it at the dump.”

OK, not a bad guess if you know the high quality of the Recycling & Disposal Facility. But yes, even though we live on the town line we are in Wellesley. Or if not, I’d be happy to pass along our escalating Wellesley tax bill to someone else four times a year.

Another expert commented: “There’s no way that house has been around since 1863” as the plaque says.

Really? Guess you didn’t see what was under the shingles when we had our roof replaced recently. Thanks, Connell Roofing, for literally keeping a roof over our heads.

The mailman drives up, and we get a good listen to the tunes he has going in his truck. Bach, Orchestral Suite No. 2 In B Minor, as it turns out, according to our Shazam music-capturing app. Later, we listen to our mailman’s work-a-day music at dinner.

Who knew we’d get such good Swellesley fodder from sitting on the front porch?

Our favorite comments, though, were of the chirp, chirp variety.

These dark-eyed junco chicks, just outside the porch above our front steps, had quite a bit to say about whether they’d be ready to fly the nest. They were.

How long we last on the porch into fall will largely be weather dependent given that it’s unheated. It’s going to be tough though to give up the space, and the chatter.

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