D is for Decadence
It’s been a wild week here at the Home for the Unemployed! Much fun and merriment. Maybe a bit too much fun and merriment as you will see below. So, I have this friend – Sandy has no blog and she recently had surgery, thus having a bit of time off from work. Sandy with no blog does, however, have a lovely cottage up in Alanson Michigan. So, we packed up Copper, Penny, and Alice, a few clothes, some things to knit on and headed north. It was perfect – I was waiting to get my testing number back from the State (this is to take my test for being a nurses aide) and we each had a bit of free time on our hands. We were just going to stay a couple of nights and then back home. A quick trip!
Right… good thought at the start.
Then Decadence showed up.
Who were we to tell her to leave???
So, we began our wee vacation with a small supper at a most amazing restaurant in Petosky – a small, family owned Italian restaurant where the service was divine and the food was beyond decadent. Sandy and I agreed to order different things and split – more to taste right? So, she orders some wild boar – that was falling off the bone, flavored beyond belief and accompanied with some roasted parsnips that were drenched in an herbed butter. I get the home made gnocci with the wild mushroom cream sauce. Okay – truly I could have stopped right there. Truly – but I was afraid to miss out on anything that tasted better than dinner (and the salad – oh. my. gosh.) So, we forged ahead with dessert.
Warning – if you have cholesterol problems you might want to stop reading about now… what follows will be sure to elevate your cholesterol level to beyond dangerous numbers!
So, after we had the richest dinner on earth – we plunged ahead boldly and ordered ….
Fried Cream.
Yes, you read that right – Fried Cream.
Get this, gentle reader, the waiter I wanted to take home with me says this…..
It is amazing… we freeze the cream (whole cream, not half and half, WHOLE CREAM) and cut it into little squares. We lightly roll the frozen pillows of cream in a light, and I mean light, crust and deep fry them for just a few moments until they are a light golden brown. They are served on a bed of melted dark chocolate with a side of pureed apricots. The following words clinched it for me…
“They explode in your mouth”
Sign me up for the exploding cholesterol desert please!
These little pillows of perfection arrived and guess what…
Holy Hannah, they do explode in your mouth. Divine bliss. Oral oversaturation. Sensory overload times ten.
Yeah, we practically licked the plate clean!
Now, we had only had a glass of wine with dinner so when we discovered that this restaurant made their own Lemoncello – we, of course, had to have some.
Wow, lemony freshness, palate cleansing punch in one small sip.
Needless to say, we managed to roll ourselves home to sleep off the eating over indulgence.
Sweet dreams circled around my head and lingered for most of the morning as we headed out to explore for the day.
We stopped in the middle of freaking nowhere to find the Pellston Market, aka Cheese Heaven.
We got a few slices of cheese to have with our dinner that night and found out about a yarn shop enroute to Cynthia’s in Mackinaw City.
Cheeses in tow, we headed out. And, in the distance we saw it…
The Flower Lady’s Farm and Woolery.
The sheep greeted us as we pulled in.
By now, I am almost at combustion point – wool. On Sheep. Sheared from sheep. Wool everywhere.
Yeah. It was incredible.
We loved it at the Woolery so much we went back the next day and took a class…
Wet felting. Baby Slippers.
I present to you – Starry Night. The colors are not fabulous in the bleak West Michigan winter weather – but they are dark brown inside with the most wonderful blue overlay and for added interest, little bits of color.
They are just too sweet. I am excited to give these to my girlfriend who is expecting her second. And – when he cannot wear them any longer – what a great Christmas tree decoration, don’t you think?
Well, lest you think I left any fiber at the Woolery, save what was still attached to the sheep (and I did find out that shearing day was coming soon… ) I did manage to snag a few great items to enhance my fiber stash. I got a wee bit of California Red – gorgeous stuff. And, since the sheep twisted my arm, I had no choice but to grab some. It is creamy, springy, and soft with a faint red hue. I also got a gorgeous batt of some Icelandic that she raises at her farm. But, that was not the big prize of the week… heavens no. Feast your eyes on this….
Okay – what you see here is 8 ounces of Gotland fiber imported directly from England. The smell is incredible. The feel is beyond decadent. And, carded, this stuff makes clouds look harsh. Pillowy, springy, fluff. Begging me to spin it. How could I resist????
We managed to drag ourselves out of there and we headed north a few miles to Mackinaw City to Cynthia’s Yarn Shop. Even in the dead of winter, this is a quaint place to be. I picked up a skein of Fleece Artist – some of their Silky Wool. Nice sheen. We also stopped by Stonehedge Fiber Mill – only in Northern Michigan will they give you an imprompteau tour of the mill. I picked up some gorgeous Pin Drafted Top Merino and some Camel – Merino blend. Just some fun things to spin on my new wheel.
Yes, you read that right. I have a Polish visitor. One Kromski Polonaise visitor. One that I am not going to let leave. Isn’t she gorgeous?
You can see a bobbin with some of that gorgeous Pin Drafted Top Merino on it… and, gentle reader, she spins so divinely. I have been meditating on a name for her – and originally I was leaning towards a name of Polish origin. But, nothing was jumping out at me – she seemed to not be moved by any of them.
Then it hit me… She is a bit of a Bohemian and this so fit…
I found this little treasure …
Meet Mona Aamons Monzano – in memory of Kurt Vonnegut…
And so Mona it is. Mona is hanging on a spire and bringing good vibrations to all that is spun. She is equally a Bohemian – and a busty one at that! Don’t you just love her???? I know I sure do… she is the Spinning Goddess!
So, my friend Sandy is down south now with her husband – and I am sitting for their dog, Katie – and the bell rang yesterday and this giant arrived.
Have you even seen such a decadent flower?
I present one LARGE King Protea in all it’s glory.
Thanks Sandy and Bud, I love it!
Have a fabulous evening all… I am going to go spin a bit more with Mona…
