B is for Beans, C is for Carpet

You might remember a few weeks ago when I blogged about hoping to go to the Northern Michigan Lamb and Wool Festival?  Well, I did get to go - what a great day it was!  The fall colors were beautiful, my dear friend Mary was along for the ride so I had good company.  I saw fiber friends and got to do some shopping.

For a very long time now I have been intending to buy a handwoven rug from Lona at Shady Side Farm, it just hadn't happened.  And reading along on their farm blog here, I'd been following the tale of the heirloom edible beans they've been raising (you really should read this family farm blog, it is soooo informative!)  So I knew I wanted to sample those beans, too.  Lona, Mike and daughter Sarah had a booth at the festival and so I SCORED!!!  Trying three varieties of beans - Green Flageolet, Hutterite Soup and Yellow Indian Woman.  And just look at that rug laying over the top of my ugly, ugly living room/dining room carpet (its the textured yellow/gold/orange stuff)

Everyone who has walked through the door in recent days marvels over this handwoven rug!  But my daughter made the best observation....she said "Wow, who would have thought that anything could make the old carpet look good"  LOL!  So it has a prime spot in front of my new/old favorite recliner (an estate sale find)

Now I have to tell you about this huge expanse of ugly old carpet.  It's wall to wall in our living room/dining room.  And it's in excellent shape (when my husband bought it many years ago, when it was "in style", he must have bought the best).  Its not squished, ripped, torn, worm or faded.  It takes a lot of abuse and dirt and cleans up brilliantly.  As in brilliant orange/gold/yellow ;)  So I refuse to replace it!  The floors underneath are not hard wood floor material, so we just work with it...and boy does this little rug sure help it out!  So thank you, Lona - I love my rug and will be back for another one of these days.

In closing, we brought those beans home just in time for Elliot to be studying the letter "B" in homeschool.  So Shady Side Beans are being used to educate, too.

Here they are as part of our fall display.  They are a big hit ;)