I.
Last Thanksgiving, Scott and I decided that we were going to have Thanksgiving at our house this year. Since my mom’s family is [such a long story], it seemed like the right thing to do. And, we figured, it would give us a deadline for finishing our basement. We decided it would be a good project for Spring, when we could let everything air out after painting. That would give us plenty of time.
Spring was busy. Scott’s father’s surgery, follow-up visits, birthdays, Easter, lots going on with work for both of us. But of course, still plenty of time. So, a summer project.
We started talking about it in early summer, about what to keep from everything we brought with us in the move, what to let go, what still needed to be sorted. Then we talked about it some more. Every time I brought up that we needed to get started on the basement because the Fall was going to be very busy, we talked about what to do. We talked until mid-August, when we realized that every weekend from Labor Day to mid-November was booked solid. So, we started the sorting process, moved a bunch of furniture around, and waited for the day in September when the consignment store would take the large piece of furniture we were selling. Then we could really get started. Just paint, and get carpet down. Easy!
Some time in October, we got the paneling primed and one coat of paint done. It was later than we expected, but we still had almost two months to do the last coat of paint and get carpet in before the holiday. No big deal. I got two estimates on carpet and I was proud of myself for not being one of those people frantically trying to get carpet put down in my house one week before having a houseful of guests on Thanksgiving. I just wanted one more estimate. Lots of time! Even with my nerd class, yoga teacher training, work. How long could it take to get one more estimate?
Carpetseller: Can I help you?
Me: Are you booked for installations before Thanksgiving?
Carpetseller: We have some availabilities.
Me: Ok, I’m looking for carpet for my basement…
Anyway, the dog part of this. I brought home three carpet samples last week, and Scott and I narrowed it down to two. He liked blue, I liked purple. “How are we going to decide?” Scott asked. Together we came up with the most logical solution: let the dog decide.
After Scott left for work on Thursday morning, I brought the carpet samples up from the basement. Phyllis followed me upstairs, so I asked her if she would help, too. I put both pieces down on the living room floor. Phyllis went right to the purple one, walked around on it for a moment, then went to the blue on and did the same. Then she went back to the purple one, laid down stretched out, and stuck her claws in a couple of times. I said, “Thanks, Phyllbert,” and removed her from the samples. “It’s Jamie’s turn.”
“Jamie, sweetie, would you please help me pick out carpet?” Jamie looked up at me from the chair where she had been napping, clearly displeased by the disturbance. “Please?” She grumbled. I scooped her up from the chair, put her down on the floor, and asked, “Which one do you like?” She looked at me sleepily, then went to work. She sniffed the blue one thoroughly, went to the purple one and sniffed it thoroughly as well. Then she went back to the blue one, sat down, thought about it for a moment, went back to the purple one, scratched it a couple times with her right front paw, hopped back up on the chair and went back to sleep. “Thanks, Jamie!” Dog grumble. The purple carpet is being installed Friday.
Anyway, somewhere in the midst of all of this, Scott and I realized that we were going to have to get some base moulding down in the basement before we could put in carpet. Suddenly, our year of planning had collapsed into seven days in which we had to learn how to use the compound mitre saw Scott bought me for Christmas three years ago (yes, it was what I wanted – he still finds this hilarious. Unfortunately, we decided to sell our house in Illinois before I got to use it, so it sat in storage for three years), learn how to put down moulding, sand, paint (again), and find seating for eight on the cheap. The moulding is down, the second coat of paint is almost done, and I found eight chairs on craigslist for two dollars each that had been used in an exotic dance fitness class. I picked them up last night after a harrowing drive way hell north (google directions initially put me in the middle of a forest.) But i got them, paid my sixteen dollars, and drove off with a car full of rickety chairs. I felt like the Beverly Hillbillies.
Max’s back seems to be healing. He’s almost back to his usual ridiculous self. I think the injury (and the subsequent two weeks of daily 3:00 am dachshund roid rage) was more traumatic for us than for him. Regardless, to keep him safe, his days of leaping on, over, and into furniture are behind him. He seems to know that, but we’ve got a lot of training and some dog ramp purchases ahead of us.
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