Carl at the Ocean Grove Town-wide yard sale. Paul Goldfinger photo. 2013 ©
To the Editor:
Hi Paul,
Your remark in the Wassup section of Blogfinger “…and the porch culture which exists for those who live here full time or part time. Why is it that so many people want to live in this town and why so many say “I love Ocean Grove ?” caught my eye and struck home because I just wrote a post in my own blog in which I quoted a slogan of sorts from Roadside Magazine. I think you’ll find it speaks to the wonderful quality of life here in Ocean Grove. This is the excerpt:
“…So we were pretty surprised to see the For Sale sign out in front and two young people sitting on the front porch.
I have to lapse into an aside here because I believe front porches are one of the best means to meet and greet your neighbors, make new friends and visit with old friends. Porches are welcoming and beckon to passerby’s. There is a quote, actually more like a slogan that used to be published in every issue of ROADSIDE MAGAZINE that sums up an America we used to know, a place that I want to live and in fact I do when I’m in Ocean Grove. ROADSIDE refers to this slogan as a recipe for an American Renaissance: “Eat in diners, ride trains, shop on Main Street, put a porch on your house and live in a walk able community”. Sounds real good to me! And by the way, the stoops of Brooklyn and other boroughs of New York City offer the same way of life”…
pbenjay
Ocean Grove, N.J. August 19, 2014
The writer is a resident of Ocean Grove
JESSICA MOLASKEY “Happy Habit”
I also noticed the lack of porch sitting . When we were sitting on our tent porch in times past, there were always many others out their on their porches and people strolling by. Now, we are usually alone. I would say that the proliferation of 60″ tv screens, computers with WI-FI and video games are keeping people inside Different times, different interests..
What does quality of life mean? For some, it is about adequate food, freedom, healthcare, money to live on, clean water and a roof over your head. But for others who already have those basics, I suspect that QOL is about the pursuit of happiness as promised in the Declaration of Independence.
We all find happiness in different ways. For example, if you love music, you may find happiness playing in Harry’s summer band.
Psychologists have found that there are two prerequisites for everyone who is happy, and they are friends/family and physical exercise of some sort.
I am part way through a Netflix movie called “Happy.” (2011). It is a documentary and it is about what makes people happy. It travels around the world to get those answers.
Paul @Blogfinger
Here is “Happy Talk” from South Pacific
Nancy: That is an interesting dynamic/observation. Wouldn’t it be great if we could measure all these variables? Sociology isn’t exactly a precise science.That’s not to say that our own observations are not valuable. I love to hear ideas like yours about how this town is evolving.
Recently with the cool air, especially mornings and evenings, I bet many houses are cooler outside than inside,so maybe there is a counter-movement onto the porches.
Along those lines, some of you should try the European method of house cooling which they use because they often don’t have AC (although that’s changing). Anyhow, given the cool mornings and then the hot afternoons, get up early and open the windows. Then, later in the morning, as the day heats up, close the windows to trap the cool air. That will often hold the house cool until evening shows up. —Paul
I just had family visiting, and it was great to sit on the porch in the afternoon and evening, sharing stories quietly, and saying hello to passersby, and introducing family to neighbors.
But I’ve noticed that not as many people sit outside as used to, because of air conditioning. It seems that once the air is turned on, the porch is closed.