Renovations

Ok, so I haven't completely fallen off the face of the blogosphere.

Yesterday I had an inspiration and a surge of energy, and took the carpet out of my son's room. Probably not a week goes by that I don't look at one or the other of our old, sorry looking carpets and fantasize about ripping it out. When I vacuum I often test corners to see just how easy it might be to take it up, and to get a peak at what the floor looks like underneath.

So I was cleaning and vacuuming, checked out that corner, conferred with my toddler regarding her thoughts on the matter (she agreed it would be a great idea). So, I went for it.

It was old, very dirty goldenrod carpet with a decaying rubber pad underneath. Based on the discovery of a 1967 penny underneath I am guessing that either someone put that there on purpose to date the installation, or it was put in in the early 70s (goldenrod?!?) and the penny was an accident.

Good heavens -- can you imagine? Carpet almost 40 years old?

It went in a garbage truck early this morning. Have a nice time in the landfill.

The floor underneath is pretty. But someone painted about an 18 inch strip around the perimeter with brown paint.

It took me maybe 6 straight hours Tuesday, with some tidy up work today. We went to the Vigil Mass for the Holy Day on Monday night. Always seems funny because it ends up that the only days I don't go to Mass are on Holy Days that way. Twice the day before, but none on the day itself.

It struck me that I was able to get so much done because we didn't take the hour and 15 minutes out of the middle of the day to go to Noon Mass. But then it struck me another way -- just think of how much we accomplish spiritually on a daily basis by investing that time day in and day out. It is hard to measure non-tangible investments like that. But I know that the benefit is there. I do not at all care for the feeling of not going to daily Mass for any extended period of time. It's just not God's program for me. Somehow He knew that this non-schedule, non-routine person needed that anchor of a daily encounter with Him. It was His first directive to me on my road of conversion, after I got done sobbing at Him that it was so hard for me to become a Catholic, after all, I didn't know any Catholics and everyone I knew was going to reject me and oh! the pathos.

God told me then "Be going to Mass."

So I remember back to that when my son is carrying on in his dramatic way; just state the plan -- the sky is NOT falling.

Now, if only I could free the rest of the floors!