Though all of these aspects lend charm, the most exciting part of upgrading from apartment life to home-ownership are the porches that the General has: a small one on the front and a slightly larger one on the back. Not to say that apartments do not have porches, (ours does) but they are often unusable. We have been reprimanded on three different occasions. First, it was the wooden laundry rack. Apparently only energy-sucking dryers are okay here. Next, we were in trouble for the bag of potting soil. Should have kept it in a wicker basket. The third time was a bit of a stretch...we had started a compost (in an attractive little wooden wine crate), but the whole thing was banned before it even started to smell. Today, Nick and I were watching the sun set, and thought how nice it would be to lounge on a porch swing instead of lean on the pile of bicycles blocking the railing. Then we remembered the General. I think that will be project number one...