Front Porch Sketches

About the Book

Back when Brenda Bond was growing up in the 1950s, life was as simple as Kool-Aid. In Front Porch Sketches, she reminisces about what life was like in Cyrus Creek, a small, rural community near Barboursville, West Virginia.

In this memoir, Bond shares stories from her idyllic childhood—about the close-knit community, her loving family, the joy of country living, the value of church, and the experiences of attending a small school. She tells of the magical summer evenings on her grandparents’ front porch, where the family gathered to laugh and visit, and of the grandfather who knew a real witch who put curses on things she couldn’t have.

Front Porch Sketches paints a portrait of a simple life in simpler times. It shows that the most important things in life—honesty, hard work, and common sense—cannot be purchased, but can be passed through families, along with their traditions, and their values.

About the Author

Brenda Bond is a graduate of Barboursville High School and Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. She taught art in Cabell County and is now retired. Bond and her husband, Jim, have two children and one granddaughter and live in Barboursville, West Virginia.