The compromise we came to? Pull out all the carpet in #4's bedroom. There's a small swatch at the top of the stairs where the carpet is already coming up. It's a wood floor underneath painted that 60's/70's shade of yellow. I want to tear the carpet out and see if it's a nice floor underneath. We got lucky at the old house and when we tore out the nasty carpet there was a wood floor underneath. In poor condition, but a wood floor no less. I'm hoping if we pull the carpet before the carpet pads have a chance to seep into the floor (yes, I'm cleaning up every mess as soon as I find it), maybe we can salvage the floor. And then #4 can pick out a rug or two for her room instead. A couple $6 or $10 rugs sure beats a $300-$500 carpet install! Tony already picked up whatever kind of tacks or nails that he will need to fix the one loose board (you can feel it when you walk over the carpet in that one spot).
Tomorrow's project - carpet removal. Most of it will have to be thrown away I'm sure, but I wonder if some of the old carpet couldn't be re-used for something else. It would be a great way to kill the grass in the area I want to put in a garden. We could cut a chunk of it out to use as a rug if #4 wanted. I just feel bad having to pull it out. I had really intended to keep it as long as possible. I love the aesthetic of this old house. I think the wall cracks and the uneven floors give it character. It's not what other people might consider perfect, but I love it. Even down to the old green / yellow / orange long strand carpet that I swear I remember from my grandfather's house when I was a child... It seems ubiquitous to the 60's or 70's.
On Tuesday we have a couple interesting things going on. Tony bought a new washer and dryer set since our dryer isn't working properly. They're being delivered some time Tuesday. I finally found someone who wants to adopt Peg-leg Sue. She (or he) will be moving on to their new family on Tuesday. And I found a lady in one of my Facebook groups giving away two bunnies, their cages, and their accessories. She said they're rexes (one regular and one mini), both does. Just exactly what I've been looking for for #4 since her Elizabeth (rex doe) died last winter. She is excited to get two new bunnies that are just hers. Unfortunately, it's an hour away and I'll need to put all the seats down to fit the cages in the back, so no kids can come along. She'll have to wait at home for her new bunnies to arrive. Oh the suspense! She doesn't have a phone but #1 will be babysitting (and she has a phone), so I'll have to send a photo right away so she knows when we're on our way back with them. We'll be picking them up Tuesday as well.
Yesterday I put together a page for the chickens I have available for sale. Originally the deal was that I could buy the surprise box, and we'd take all of the roosters to the butcher in the fall. Well, of 49 birds that made it so far, only 9 are roosters... and of those nine, I plan to keep two and one I'm trying hard to sell so we don't have to butcher... So that leaves six to slaughter, and 42 birds to feed through winter. That's not something we can manage once they're on straight feed and no forage, especially when Tony's hours get cut in the winter. So I have to pick some (a lot) of the hens to go to slaughter, or I need to sell them. As much as I like the idea of raising my own meat, it seems unfair to kill birds I didn't consider to be food. So I'm offering a bunch for sale if anyone is interested. There are probably a lot more, but for the life of me I can't identify some. It's a colorful flock, sure to lay nice eggs. They seem to be mostly brown egg breeds. Anyway, if you're in the market for some chickens, they were hatched 4/2 and are nearly as big as my two adult roosters now. Check out the Chickens For Sale page!