Renewed

The past few days I've been lazing around.  No posts, not much knitting, not much of anything at all.  I think all of the show preparations had worn me out.  Knitting non-stop for days on end can take its toll on you.  It's not like I've stopped knitting.  Oh no.  It's more like the sweatshop knitting mentality had subsided.  Trust me, it's a good thing.

The last couple of weeks I've been buying up yarn for my business like mad.  The yarn shop at Beaumont Hospital is closing and they had so much yarn that I could use I couldn't pass up the bargains.  Thanks Tanya for enabling me!  Today I sorted the purchases (yes, that was plural) and I just love all of it.  Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the wool fumes.  Color, texture, and the endless possibilities for its end results really gets my juices going.  Sad but true.  There are times when the design thoughts run rampant and I can't wait to pick up some needles and create.  If only I could support myself with my craft!

I still need to organize all of the leftover yarn from the Republic hats I've been knitting.  The skeins had 128 yards for the most part and I only used about 100 yards so I've got plenty of scraps left over -- perhaps a felted bag is in the future for these bits?

Yesterday I went to the RO Farmers Market to pick up a few things to take out to Holly & Mike's new house.  Yes, they closed on it Wednesday and moved in this weekend.  I picked up some yellow mums, pumpkins, and gourds to decorate their house.  I also found this fabulous mud mat:

 

It's constructed by formerly homeless people using tires that were abandoned around the city of Detroit.  The workers, part of the Cass Community Organization, cut the tires into strips and then wove them into these great mats.  What a win-win situation.  You can't go wrong helping people help themselves, not to mention the clean up of a city that gets dumped on with used tires.

I must admit that I was pretty reluctant about Holly & Mike's choice of a homestead.  After all, I saw the  pictures on the website and it looked basically like a ranch house built on top of a giant pole barn.  The concept was tough for me to grasp.  They have 9 acres, a pond and plenty of deer around the property.  I saw the poop -- I can verify this.

But their house is an amazing find -- a bargain basement price due to foreclosure and the house turned out to be more than I expected.  I'm delighted for them since it seems to fit them to a 'T'.

You can see how big the barn/garage is by the photo below.  There are two stalls behind the wall near the  SUV, where horses used to live.  I think it could be a fine spot for sheep.

The side entrance to the house is at the top of this deck.  Notice the lovely mums and pumpkins?

 Here's the view from the top of the deck ~~

Once inside the living room is quite large with a gas fireplace in the corner.

 

The kitchen is roomy with plenty of cabinets and countertop space -- I'm so jealous!

They were going shopping for appliances, among other things, today.

There is an entrance from the garage that leads up to the main floor.  The bathroom is the first room you see.  It it quite roomy and includes space for a washer and dryer, as well as a Jacuzzi, which the son of their friends initiated last night (you can say he made a  big splash) ~~

I think my friend Jackie has the same wallpaper border in her pine bathroom up north.

There are three bedrooms and they'll be using the 'horse' room as their master bedroom.  Apparently a little lady named Paige slept in that room and must have had the horses that were formerly in the barn.  The jamb side of the bedroom door had a height mark with her name and date on it.

 

The man who built the horse used excellent materials, including the Anderson windows, which really make the house warm and quiet.

Here's the view from the deck, looking south.  Not sure what that sandy area is for -- horseshoes or volleyball maybe?

Kevin and I helped Holly & Mike move four vehicle's worth of items from the apartment to the house.  Phew!

Here are the happy newleyweds/homeowners ~~

Kevin and Holly on the deck, with the pond beyond them.

And Holly beside a giant maple tree.

Mike took Kevin and me through the wooded area and I did my best not to A. injure myself, B.get too far behind. I did get whacked in the face by a wild rose branch.  It's amazing how your body flinches and keeps your eyeball from getting scratched .  Mike's mother provided a delicious lunch for everyone and Holly and I enjoyed the apple cider I had bought at the farmers market.

One of the biggest problems for me, beside the distance (55 miles and 70 minutes away) is that cell phones do not work in that area.  I think they'll be getting a land line really soon.

I look forward to seeing their house again soon, with all the furniture in place and them all settled.

I know it's been a long post so I'll write more tomorrow.