trees and stuff for sale

Now that I think about it, I'm not exactly a rolling stone. My wife and I have been toying with the idea of moving recently, but it's been hard to get excited about the prospect of packing up all our stuff and moving from one suburban neighborhood to another. I can't say I really dislike where we live now either. Our yard is beautiful in the spring. We have a nice deck to relax on.

On the other hand, it could be closer to work. It could have a different layout; all the groceries have to go upstairs to the kitchen, the bathroom situation isn't exactly optimal, etc.

Usually, when moving crosses my mind, it is part of some bigger daydream. I think about changing jobs, moving across country, maybe even moving to another country all together. I've been at my job for 9 years now and the time has snuck up on me. We've been in this house even longer. So we decided to do a little harmless looking around. I mean what's wrong with just looking?

I forgot about the autumn.

It happens every year to one extent or another and it always surprises me when it does. I get restless. I don't know if it is just left over from my school years where the fall always represented a new beginning. It was always a fresh start, new classes, new teachers, an empty notebook full of clean sheets of paper. In the fall there are brand new pencils with unused erasers. It means starting out with a straight A average and the feeling that it could stay that way if I toe the line this year.

Walking around in a house that is for sale does make me think. It brings back some of that restlessness and reminds me of how the fall used to feel when I was younger.

Cooking

I've never been what you'd call a good cook. When I make things, they always come out OK, but I'm not *good* at cooking. I'm happy to chop veggies, but it takes a while, and I tend to chop too many and more finely than necessary, but here's the thing: I like doing it.

So this weekend while my wife was away, I took the opportunity to make enchiladas for me and the kids. My daughter helped me which definitely made things go faster. These aren't too difficult to make and they taste good. On top of that, it is an excuse to make Mexican fried rice which has sort of become my signature dish.

As you can see, I make a lot. It doesn't take any longer to double the recipe, plus it gets eaten, so it is nice to have a little extra on hand.

Part of the fun of making home-made enchiladas is making home-made corn tortillas. When you use a little masa and your own tortilla press, the tortillas come out soft and easy to work with. They are really a pleasure to roll up into little veggie-and-cheese-filled tubes.

Last night, I chopped onions and peppers and zucchini for some and I used spinach and mushrooms for the rest. I think the spinach ones turned out to be the best. I also like frying up spinach. It's just like letting the air out of it while it is cooking in the pan.

By the time they were ready to put in the oven, it was getting late. Plus, I had quite a mess on my hands, but I could tell that these were going to come out fine. The only part of the meal that wasn't from scratch was the enchilada sauce. But I had a good time with my daughter, and both kids thought the meal was excellent. That's pretty gratifying even if I only make dinner once in a long while.

Occasionally cooking helps me appreciate the mastery my wife has. When I do this, it is like a hobby. She does this daily and so much more efficiently. Every day, she comes up with something for us all to eat. I know it isn't easy.