Out, damn carpet, out!

Here's the smell of BEN still! All the steam cleaners of GA cannot sweeten this foul floor!!

You would think a relatively short-haired dog wouldn't shed that much, right? Okay, well, *I* thought that a relatively short-haired dog wouldn't shed that much. I have never seen anything like it. It is like he stumbled into some kind of toxic waste, except, somehow, there is still fur all over his body. It is blowing my mind. His crate has been in the corner of the living room all this time, and I have to pull it out about twice a week and vacuum behind it, and you WOULD NOT believe the hair. Well, I'm sure you know that if there is one thing that is purely impossible to keep clean, it is a carpet. From the moment you first set foot on it, it is never *really* clean again. Ben is very dander-y and well, and dang it, I like a clean house (stop making that face!! I try!!)

Anyway, since we moved into this place I have been dreaming about ripping out the carpet in the living room and office, and blending new hardwood into the existing hardwood entryway. Well, Jesse offered to make it a reality, and I jumped at the chance! So here are some pics of the installation of our new floors, which look great.

The view from the kitchen into the office.

The remnants of the old hardwood (which was glued down with enough adhesive to keep tiles on the space shuttle) on its way out!

Jesse also pulled down the old fireplace facade, which was, in my opinion, an extremely unattractive combination of painted white wood and pinkish tile. Ewww. I *love* the stacked stone, and I have to say, I think he did a pretty incredible job, it looks so beautiful and professional.

Hooray! The new wood making it's way toward the other side of the first floor. He also fixed those loose tiles between the kitchen and the living room.

The Notorious B-I-G, keeping a watchful eye. His pterodactyl talons are already doing a number on the floors, we need to get him a puppy pedicure.

And finally, the NEW view from the kitchen to the office. This was before I mopped for the first time. I couldn't have imagined, and it is difficult to describe, the immense satisfaction of running a sweet-smelling orange oil soaked Swiffer over newly installed hardwood floors, and watching every. last. dog hair. disappear, leaving nothing but the welcome scent of orange hanging in the air, and a slightly timid Great Dane to negotiate the veritable ice-skating rink that he now has to contend with on a daily basis. Every see a dog in a cartoon run in one place for about 10 seconds before he gets traction and moves forward? It's even funnier in real life.