Best Little Sleeping Porch in Texas

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What I began to realize about Granddad's desire for open-air napping was that for him, even when you're resting outdoors, you're doing something! You're never out of touch with your surroundings. A neighbor drives by in a new car; you make a note. Smell smoke coming from somewhere; log it in. Cat and dog fighting next door; mental memo. Pyracantha bushes need watering; tell Grandmother.

Granddad was an old cowboy who dropped out of school in the seventh grade to work on the big ranches gathering wild horses. I suspect that as he got older, sleeping on the porch became the next best thing to lying on a bedroll by a campfire. It connected him to his past.

Come next August, I'm not sure you'll find me lounging through sweltering afternoons on any gabled porticoes. Heat and me stopped being agreeable years ago. I must confess, however, that I have given serious thought to dragging the bed out on the lawn some night so I can look up at the stars, smell the moon vines, and gaze at the bats zinging off the satellite dish. If you happen to see me out there, be sure and honk. I'll make a note of it.

William Jack Sibley's first novel, Any Kind of Luck, was a finalist for the 2002 John Bloom Humor Award given by the Texas Institute of Letters. From Texas Co-op Power (June 2003), a magazine about Texas living -- its people, history, travel, and food -- that has been delivered for six decades to member-owners of Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. Subscriptions: $15/yr. (12 issues) from Subscription Dept., 2550 S. IH-35, Austin, TX 78704; www.texas-ec.org

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