01/09/2021

Today’s blog

Lynn Murphy Mark

Roll up the floor!

Something really big is happening in our condo this week, and it’s a boatload of work to get ready for it. (This is another First World Problem complaint, by the way…). For the five years we have lived here we have been complaining about the wood floor color. At first we thought the dark wood was beautiful and visually it is attractive. Before too long, though, we noticed that every speck of dust stands out as if a spotlight is shining on it. Every paw print from a rainy day and every foot print from just entering with a damp shoe makes its highly visible imprint on the dark mahogany surface. 

For those of you who don’t know Jan, I have to explain that she notices every detail that appears on the somber surface. I am clueless unless it is pointed out to me, which it is with regularity. Funny how two people who have lived together for years don’t always absorb the other’s personality likes and dislikes. In my Zen world, dust is a part of life. I tend to see the forest and not the trees themselves. Not Jan. She is a detail person and clutter and dust are not her friends.

We also have a team of two mighty women who come every two weeks to make the place sparkle. Mind you, our condo is not that big. It is a compact one bedroom unit. Ordinarily the ladies would make short work of it except for the floor. Now that takes time, even with two people tackling it in different areas. They are originally from Bosnia and I notice that the level of Bosnian conversation rises as they address the cleaning of the floor. One day, Elvira flat out stated in plain English that she hates this floor.

OK. So now I am a working person and we can afford to change the whole look of our place. After a lot of conversation, and after Jan interviewed several flooring companies, we made the decision to cover the darkness with a light oak “luxury vinyl” surface. Luxury Vinyl does not sound too sturdy to me, but apparently it is scratch proof and guaranteed for years to come.

By the end of this week, the whole look of our dwelling will change. The light wood look will no doubt make the place brighter. It will also please Elvira and Zakira and maybe Jan can relax her dust patrols. The dust will still be there, but it won’t be so obvious.

Hooray for our side. But wait. The prep work for us begins with putting delicate items on the bookshelves in a safe place. The closet floors need to be cleared – oh boy. All pictures must come off the walls to avoid them being injured by a wayward plank of wood. Where we will put these things is a mystery, but it must be done. There is also the matter of Mollie Dog who will not appreciate workmen in her house hammering and sawing and making noise in general. For her sake, she will go to our Vet to be boarded for the three days that this project lasts. They love Mollie there and she will be spoiled rotten. And when she gets home she won’t recognize the place.

Today I’m off in search of boxes to be put together and used for storage. This feels like moving days to me and I am not excited about it at all. I just keep telling myself that the end result will be a thing of beauty. So ends this week’s First World Problem.