When we moved to Michigan, we heard from other student sources, about a house that was coming available. The Landlord said he wasn’t sure he could have it ready by the time we needed it, but, basically, he would do his best. I’m not sure how ready it was, but the price was good and we were worn out, so we took it, and all the stuff that had been left in it.

The house had been pilfered many times. Evidence of back door break in and windows  cracked from trying to open them, many with broken locks. One of the neighbors caught people a couple of times and we know much of the “good” stuff was taken due to them asking if I had found this decoration or that thing. Many homes in the Detroit area, and particularly in Pontiac, have been walked away from, as the financial collapse settled in. But in this case, a woman in her 60’s owned the home and her daughter lived with her. The daughter died of an overdose in the spring and by Thanksgiving, the mother did too. The landlord did not share that before we moved in, which in many states is illegal and another indication of the character of our landlord.

For a crafter, it was a bit of a treasure trove, although having to go through stuff eventually got to me. I kept going, setting up a little work area.  I sorted through decades of magazines (some back to 1981) instead of tossing them. I think it was two months before I realized there was another storage room under the stairs! Basically, I found it after the basement flooded, which the landlord tried to blame us for, when it was pipes that had not been tended to in the almost two years the house had been vacant.

For me, some of the best treasures were bolts of fabric, four quilt tops, one already basted in a sandwich, and the abundance of scraps, 3 charm packs, you get the idea. There is a large PVC pipe quilting frame, for hand quilting. A very large stash of cross stitch supplies, that I still haven’t sorted through due to lack of interest, and skeins of yarn. It’s been interesting. I made a personal commitment to use up what I can before we leave so that I am not hauling a craft store with me, again. And when I see a beautiful yarn at the store, I remember the stash at home.

Then the second flood came when we got record rains. I think it washed in every ant from the entire yard and maybe more. The neighbors told me it should not have happened because of the deep French drains that were placed along with the sump pump. But the sump pump was persnickety. It only worked when the landlord kicked it just right, and not at all when my daughter or I did. The landlord replaced it.  But the basement has not been the same to me. It has not seemed to fully dry out. Last summer, when we moved in, I used a fan down there. This year, when we run the air conditioner, it gets too cold for comfort. Don’t know how that fits with the other issues we’ve had but it’s true. I’ve covered every vent I can find down there, but the ducts themselves keep VERY cool. I must be missing something. Maybe it’s colder this year because it doesn’t seem to dry out.

So, I moved my very large work table to the dining room and have taken over the space for sewing, and maybe some painting, definitely some lettering. For now, it is sewing. While still in the basement, I made Indigo a dress from material (yards and yards) I’d purchased before we moved here. She loved it a and it became the dress for the last two special events of kindergarten. I crocheted a special cowl that covers her shoulders for her fancier event. I also tried to make a summer purse from a Craftsy class. I know where I messed up and will eventually fix it. The good part is, it was made from fabric already here, I only purchased hardware and stabilizer. Early summer was when I made a couple of large stuffed dinosaurs for her – she’s not into dolls, but she dresses up those dinos.

And that brings me to the current blessing. I love quilts. But I don’t buy them. I have two my Grandmother made long ago. I have another that is whole cloth quilted (not pieced) that I bought when I worked at Dillard’s for a short time. I prefer not to use my grandmother’s, although I do from time to time and my granddaughter has taken over the store bought one. So we are off on a new journey.