Our packing has not yet begun in full, our moving date is set for this Saturday, and yet my body is already revolting against me, punishing my every move. Katy and I managed to create copious amounts of work for ourselves, each effort seeming to multiply the work ahead. First we decided to move, that being our initial invitation of long days, endless detail-attending, and multi-tasking between our regular regimen and the additional tasks of relocation. Our second casual invocation of labor was the decision to pull up the carpet and paint in the new house.
I will accept most of the responsibility for this decision- I have a certain aversion to carpet, particularly baby-blue carpet that has been lived on by the unwashed tenants that apparently occupied the place before we signed our lease. The carpet had obviously been cleaned, but with little visible improvement. I can’t seem to overcome my innate disgust toward the dirt-, dust-, and dander-filled, fluid-sponge that is wall-to-wall carpeting. So, I said, let’s just pull it up! No problem! We peeled up the corners to reveal what appeared to be hardwood in acceptable condition. What we found once we pulled out the hundreds of square feet of said filth-sponge was a discolored, stained, and paint-splattered mess. Some of the floor had the added bonus of a thick coat of adhesive gunk from a previous application of tile or something, which I spent several hours scraping up with a painter’s knife. Good times!
All self-deprecating humor aside, with the aid of good music, some foresight and some cold beer, we mostly enjoyed ourselves and seeing the transformation that resulted from all our hard work. The end result is a space that we have some stake in, and one that finally offers the room that we need to host our hobbies, families and friends. Even Henry gets a yard for his hobbies of running wild, peeing on everything and howling at the neighbors, and perhaps a companion in the near future.
Right now there is a lot of packing to do so I’ll wrap this up. My next post should include some stories about moving, although I truly hope they will pale in comparison to our last adventure from Chicago.
