Excuse the Mess But We Live Here!

A few summers ago, maybe about 4-5 this building was for sale. The old owner was trying to make small cheap updates to get a buyer using his jack of all trades people he hires. So, when he decided to put a new "carpet" in I was skeptical and knew that somehow this wasn't going to be a good thing. I was right. First of all, of course he got his usual jack of all trades man of the hour at the time to do this. Getting a professional was out of the question because of cheapness on his part. So, the jack of all trades man says in his heavy accent the day before to move the furniture in the living room to the kitchen so he can do the carpet. I should have told the owner I need a cut for doing all that work because this was ridiculous. So, the night before my nephew and I moved the majority of the stuff to the kitchen and in the bedrooms. Mr. Jack of all trades arrived an hour late on that day, as usual, the man was never on time. If he says 10am he wouldn't show up until 12 noon. So, we are sitting and waiting on fold out chairs in one of the bedrooms watching TV and then he knocks on the door. No carpet mind you. I looked at him like you gotta be kidding me. So, he asked did I have the carpet. Why would I have carpet? I shook my head no. So, he calls the owner and the owner instructs him to meet him at home depot probably and get the carpet. I knew that this would not be anything expensive and most likely the cheapest thing in the store.

I was right. He came back about an hour later holding a box that said carpet in a box. I didn't even know carpet came in a box. So, he opened it and tried to piece together the squares with his son who was probably not much older then mine. So, they are jumping up and down on each square trying to make it stick to the floor and hammering it in place and get about half the living room done and the carpet in the box runs out. No more squares. So, he calls the owner and tells him he ran out. So, back to the store he goes and comes back with two more carpet in the boxes. He goes back to jumping and hammering and trying to get them on the floor. I had gotten a headache from all the noise and one point I thought that he was going to break the floor. So, after 10 hours he is finished and looks at the cream colored "carpet" that he laid on the floor and says he is done. I was the day I tried to vacuum it a day later.

Well, this had been covering the floor for about 4 years now. It looks like it has been on the floor for longer because it is cheap and thin. It is almost like walking on the regular floor because it has no thickness. I got a small cordless vacuum with not a lot of power especially for this carpet and even with that the rug strings pulled somewhat in certain spots. I shook my head and when it got the first  time I tried to clean the first spot and almost rubbed a hole in the carpet.

Flash forward to a couple of days ago. I was trying to sign up my mom for in home heath care. Someone told me about it and said that you can get paid for helping take care of a person who needs help and so a few months ago I contacted the county office and they sent out a person to come and do a home visit and fill out the paper work. So, the woman gets here explains all the things that we needed to know and asked if I was the caregiver and I said yes, since I do all the care giving for my mom and then at the end of the visit she is standing there near the front door and she says oh the rug has spots. I looked at her straight in the eye and said, "Yes, I know the rug has spots and the rug will probably always have spots since we walk on the rug." See, I knew this rug would come back to haunt me some kind of way. (LOL) So, she asked who cleans it?  I told her I tried to clean and almost put a hole in it with just plain soap and water and a rag. I then told her and yes there are 3 plates in the sink from breakfast if she needs to know why there are dishes in the sink, we eat here too and ate right before she came. She looked at me like I had lost a piece of my mind. I looked at her like well? she started it with dumb questions and comments.  At that point I didn't care and felt insulted. My house is not going to ever be "perfect" because we live here. At any given moment you will see a toy on the floor, a ball in the kitchen,  a bag of laundry in the hallway, a few dishes in the sink, a spot on the floor, dust on the table, a glass of juice that someone left on the counter half empty, etc.. all that is "normal" for us. And I think that unless you live alone and never have company that you will always have something in your house that is not "perfect." 

Shortly after our exchange about the carpet in the box rug she left and I was glad. Maybe she didn't mean any harm, maybe she was just doing her job, maybe she had to ask about the spots on the rug, I don't know but what I do know is that if she is looking for a showcase house, a house that looks like nobody lives in it, a house that is spotless with perfect people and perfect things then she is at the wrong house. That will never be my house, ever and I am glad that it won't be because my house will always look "Lived In" spots and all.