A Hammock and the Secret Garden

After I published a picture of my hubby and I taking a nap in our hammock, I got a lot of questions about hammocks and many people wrote about how much they would like to have a hammock. Jen T over at Many Blessings equals Busy Life wanted to know if I had any recommendations.

And, being the super opinionated Italian that I am, certainly do have a few things to say on the subject. But first...this.

I grew up in the country. On a wooded lot. With no air conditioning. The hammock hanging between two trees in our back yard was a refuge. I logged many hours laying there reading in an effort to escape the sometimes oppressive heat. And they are some of my fondest summer memories as I escaped to many adventures through great books lying in that old hammock.

Ever since I have been a grown person, I have wanted a hammock. When we bought our house, our air conditioning was working, at best. On many summer days, the babies would nap on blankets or in a porta crib under the big tree in our back yard. It was far cooler there than indoors. This really brought me back to those days of lying in my dad's hammock on Oak Tree Court.

We have since had an entire HVAC overhaul with new duct work and new air conditioning and new heat pump and whatever all those things are they hooked up to keep us cool and warm.

But, old habits die hard. I still love to be outdoors. We still take naps under the trees sometimes.

And yet, we never got a hammock until this Spring. When the little kids decided to reclaim part of our 2 acres that had been overrun by weeds under the neglect of the previous owner. They worked hard to clear fallen trees, vines, brambles, bushes, twigs, sticks, rocks, leaves and who knows what else that settled there over the years. And they called it the Secret Garden. Which happens to be one of their very favorite books.

They have begun making a border with paver bricks, added a fire pit, and started planting perennials. There are plans to add a path over time, too. It is on the back edge of our property.

A great plan was formulated. We would make a restful spot for Pa, with a hammock, where he could read his newspaper on Sunday afternoons.

I found a hammock on eBay for about $80 with free shipping and we tucked it away for the big day. And then I was gifted this one by a lady who is originally from Honduras. Her sister, who still lives in Honduras, makes these. And isn't it beautiful?

Now, as you can see, it is already hanging and it is not Father's Day yet. We can't keep a good secret. With the garden progressing so nicely, we just had to give him his surprise.

To hang it we found these instructions on the Internet. The only catch was that we couldn't find bolts long enough at our local Home Depot. But my useful hubby was able to rig it up until we can special order some on the Internet.

Since the hammock has become the most popular spot in our yard, we will be getting a hammock stand to place up on our hill by the shed for the EBay hammock.

So that is my recommendation. Definitely buy a hammock. They aren't that expensive. Everyone loves them. You only need a shady spot and a little room to put one up. The benefits of the restful afternoons we've spent there already outweigh the cost.

You can bet, as soon as lunch is over and I've put the babies down, I head there with my book. And then, being the queen, I tell the non nap time kids who beat me there, to get out. And Emma Rose and I spend the next hour swinging together and reading, napping and chit chatting together.

Oh, and Pa likes it, too.