November 9, 2010

• Carpeting and Other Events

  It’s 4pm and I have my house back. 

  Not necessarily the house the way I would like it to be,  

  but, at least,  the “strangers” are gone. 

  The strangers are gone and they left new carpeting on our floors!  

  I don’t have pictures of the final product and everything neat and tidy – because it’s not neat, nor is it tidy! 

         

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  The fish made it through the big move.   

  We used two tall plastic waste baskets to save some of the old water from the tank, and then treated the new water with a chlorine killer liquid.  We also found out our tank is much larger than the 50 gallons we thought it to be!  When I filled the plastic waste baskets with tap water, I mixed hot and cold.  I was trying to not boil the fishies    , but to also guess at the temperature that was similar to what they had been living in for the day.

  We only lost one little fish.  Not sure if the move caused a rock or shell to crush it or if it died from a heart attack.  We had four of this one type of fish (a Tetra) and the 3 others made it through just fine.  I’m guessing one of the above happened to the lone victim. 

  My spotted silver and black Dalmatian Mollies are very tame.  They come to me at the top of the water at feeding time, and if I call, “Here Molly Mollies,” ALL of the Mollies (we have the 2 spotted Dalmatian, 5 orange & black, 2 solid black, and 3 angelfish-looking black & white Mollies) come to the front of the tank.  But, the 2 silver & black Dalmatians seem to really like me.  When the tank was in the kitchen, and they were swimming in murky, shallow, COLD water, I put my hand into the tank and the Dalmatian Mollies actually swam in and out of my fingers. 

  I curved my fingers, like I was trying to catch them, and one (or the other) would swim into my fingers and stay in my curled fingers. until the other Dalmatian scooted it out of the way for a turn inside my hand.  It was absolutely INCREDIBLE!!!!! 

  I think Jesse was amazed, too. 

  I don’t know if my hand was warm and they were cold; or if they felt some sense of familiarity with my hand being in there.  All in all, it was a really neat experience for me!

  I just love ALL animals and they seem to like me! 
  
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  I took some pictures yesterday to show the difference of what we had and we (NOW) have.

               
             This picture shows the height of the new carpeting compared to what we had.
                                       (New carpeting in the background)

                             
                                           Frankly, I’m surprised that the doors still swing shut!

  We found a champagne colored, super thick, plush carpeting at a close-out price.  The color is almost identical to what our old, dirty, deteriorated carpet color had become!  Remember, when we moved in here in 2004, we KNEW we needed the carpet replaced! 

  I don’t know how we made it this long!

  Last night, we enjoyed walking from the new carpeting to the old carpeting, and back onto the new carpeting, again. 

  We were like little kids playing with the new and old carpet levels!!! 

  It was like walking from a mattress onto a blanket laid on a concrete slab. 

  Basically, that’s all we had left in some areas, a thin piece of carpeting and no pad left at all. 

  We *WERE* (quite literally) walking on the concrete slab foundation!

    
   
           This isn’t an accurate picture of the color (the white look, in the first 2 pictures, is closer),

                 but you can see that the new pad (they put under the new carpeting) was thicker

                                          than the old carpeting *AND* pad!!!!!!!!!!!!

      
                            The new yellow pad was higher than the old pad and carpeting put together! 

  And, the dust they swept up, after removing the old carpeting and pad!!!! 

  OH MY GOODNESS, 

  the house needs to be thoroughly dusted from the sandy silt we were living with totally unawares! 

  Not to mention the gross little critters buried in the old carpeting! 

  YUCK!!!! 

           
                                          Here’s a small portion of one completed room.
                           The carpet threads are actually high enough to show vacuum tracks!!!!!! 

  I took my sister in law’s advice and moved the bookcase out of the corner of the den and scooted the TV back.  (I’ll use the bookcase in the kitchen)

  I’ll remove the fig tree.  I tried it there, but I don’t like the way it sticks out over the TV, like some great elk antlers or
  old-fashion rabbit ears antennae!    

  The mantle is still a mess from holding all of the nic-nacs up high and out of harm’s way.  In fact, my entire house is full of clutter  ~  everywhere.

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  Jesse got a call, Sunday evening, that his dad wasn’t expected to live more than a few more days, so he left very early this morning (Tuesday) to spend a few days in Texas.  It’s all horrible timing, with all that’s going on in our household, but I don’t believe death ever considers “timing,” nor is the timing ever “good”  when it comes to a loved one dying. 

  As far as putting the house back together, I’ll do what I can while Jesse is gone, and I’ll leave the rest for him to help me with, when he comes back home. 

  When Jesse made the decision to leave, Stephanie immediately asked if I wanted her to come here to help.  She spent yesterday and today helping with the girls.  She said she could come back Wednesday if I needed her help.  I need SO MUCH help, and I hate to inconvenience her, but I’ll accept her offer, if she offers it again!  

  That’s something (or ONE of the things) the chemo changed in me, last year. 

  Chaos makes me VERY nervous. 

  Monday morning, we had the dryer repairman here, the carpet layers here, the call from Amarillo came in again, and calls back and forth with Jesse’s brother back East and his siblings out West,  the dogs running in and out, the girls running in and out, we had NO cash for Jesse to take with him . . .  

  It was a lot going on at one time,
  and I just don’t handle stress like I used to.  I think I used to “THRIVE” on stress. 

  I can’t put things back in the china cabinet without an ADULT to help, and that can definitely wait.

  All I really care about, tonight, is making my bed!!! 

  Be Blessed  ~ 

  (and please pray for my mother in law, as she says goodbye to the love of her life    )

   

  • 7:05 pm
  • 4 Comments