If you saw the Facebook post I made last night…you know I was up to something.
Here’s the thing. Derek went to a friends house to work on a project for a while. Ever since the Christmas hubbub came to an end I’ve been itching to do a project. Not a craft {I did plenty of those leading up to Christmas time} but a real, serious project. And I had my eye set on a certain, brown, shaggy, smelly prize.
I have been threatening Derek for a week now.
“I’m going to do it. Don’t test me. You’ll come home and that carpet will be gone.”
And guess what. Last night I did it.
At 5:30 I got off the couch. I had just watched the season 2 finale of Downton Abbey in preparation for the season 3 premiere last night. A friend was going to come over for Revenge at 7:30. Two hours is enough time to rip up carpet and padding, remove a few staples and drag it all to the dumpster, right? Sure. So I went for it.
Here is where the house started last night. If you really want to know why I hate this carpet…look all the way back to this post. Where I show off our many shades of nasty brown carpeting.
First I moved all the furniture out and covered things up. I have this fear of old dust. It’s rooted back to my studies of the crew who opened King Tut’s tomb. They breathed that ancient dust and got real sick-like. I realize this isn’t ancient Egypt. But caution never hurt anyone.
Then I started tearing it up. Which, honestly went very quickly.
Once the shag was up I was simply disgusted at how NASTY the padding and belly of the carpet was. No wonder it has been smelly.
Next I rolled up the padding…and took all of it to the curb for garbage pick up. Finally, I rolled the carpet as good as I could. Then I started working my way toward the door. And here is where things got tricky. Carpet is heavy. And this stuff all came up in one piece. So I was dragging it through the dining room out the kitchen door, onto the deck. I got it about a full foot through the door when it got stuck. After pulling and pushing, grunting and cursing I resigned myself to the truth that I couldn’t budge it. Either way. You just can’t make this stuff up.
I couldn’t get it back inside. Or further outside. So I sat down, all sweaty…letting the cold breeze blow through the door that wouldn’t shut. Then, miracle of miracles…Derek got home. It’s funny how much easier it was with two people.
And there you have it. The brown carpet is simply a memory. Remember when we moved into that house in Minot and it had terrible brown carpet? Ahhh…I’ve been waiting so long to use past tense when talking about that wretched stuff.
But now…present tense. My living room is covered in bubble gum pink linoleum. Woof. Gross, yes. Up I still consider it an upgrade.
The project continues. I promise, some day soon I will have flooring from this millennium.
