It's Hammock Time!

Lately, my life has been swallowed up by what is purportedly a minor bathroom remodel. Every night after work, time has been spent stripping the cabinets, sanding, painting, and cleaning, with little down time in the house. Sure, I took Friday night and Sunday afternoon off to be with friends, but home life has been devoted to home improvement.

Weary of it all, staring blankly at the dusty floor lit by today's sunny weather, I knew it was time for a break. For a whole five minutes - maybe even six - I lay in the hammock on our porch, staring dreamily at a blue sky through the glass panes above. Never mind that the panes were smudged with debris washed from the roof and trees in last week's rain; this view was, for the moment, perfect.

Lucy was excited, too, so I helped her scramble into the hammock beside me. We watched as an extremely fat bumble bee tried to make it's way through the glass to the open sky above. Thwarted at every attempt, the bee finally made it beyond the edge of the roof, flying through the open walls of the porch to freedom in the high skies. Lucy seemed a bit disappointed; doubtlessly she would have preferred the insect hover lower, giving her the opportunity to try out her hunting skills by snapping at it.

With the bee having moved on, I decided that it was time for me to make a move as well. Back to the kitchen I headed to finish the pasta salad I was fixing for dinner. But busy as we may be, when fine weather calls we all need a little hammock time.

Enchiladas for All

This week was an example of perfect timing. Some time last month I had offered to host a small gathering of friends for dinner while a mutual friend, who happens to be a missionary and English teacher in China whom we support, was visiting the Seattle area. Normally I don't get home from work until about 6:30 or later, which makes hosting weeknight dinners a bit of a challenge. I was confident this would work itself out, however, and lo and behold the realization dawned on me a couple of weeks ago that I was scheduled to work this coming Saturday, which means I get to take one weekday off instead. Bingo! I had Tuesday off of work so that I could concentrate on making enchiladas and getting the house ready for company. God works in mysterious ways.

It was good to see Dave and enjoy a meal with friends. I also learned that our house is apparently famed as "the house with the hammock" to our friends' Keri and Joseph's two young boys. That's a good thing, it would seem. Our house may not have much to offer young children, but it does have a hammock! And with the lovely weather we've been having lately, they got to stay on the porch and enjoy it while the adults had dinner in the adjacent dining room.

Enchiladas are one of those perfect company foods, too. You can whip them up in advance and then relax with friends while the oven does the rest. Good food, good weather, good friends. Good night!