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30 Days of Writing - #9 - Magic Carpet


Steppenwolf took a magic carpet ride in the 60s - and didn't even need the carpet.

There was a magic carpet in One Thousand and White Nights and it was described as follows:


Whoever sitteth on this carpet and willeth in thought to be taken up and set down upon other site will, in the twinkling of an eye, be borne thither, be that place nearhand or distant many a day's journey and difficult to reach.



Ah, that would be nice wouldn't it. Think of how you'd beat rush hour every day as you were born thither on your way to and from work.

When Mrs D and I bought the house we live in about 11 years ago we had magic carpets. The house had wall-to-wall carpets. Not a speck of flooring other than the front hall, kitchen and bathrooms.

And they smelled magical. Well, maybe magical isn't the right word. They smelled funny. Not funny ha-ha. No funny as in cat pee.

The previous owners had a cat. One with incontinence apparently. We steam-cleaned those carpets at least once a year. The smell would go away...for a while.

We had a cat. Then we got two more. Then the two more had five - which we quickly found homes for. Then one of the two got hit by a car and died. Then the original cat died of old age, with a little help from the Vet.

The first carpet we ripped out was the basement...where the 5 cats were born and spent their first few weeks of life. Do all cat's have incontinence? And we put in one of those so-called floating floors. But it just laid there. It didn't float at all. Oh, well.

Next came the main floor. We took out the wall-to-wall and replaced it with maple hardwood. Looked gorgeous. And any accidents - by now of which there were few - could simply be wiped up.

Several years ago, we finished the job and replaced the wall-to-wall upstairs with the same flooring as on the main floor.

And we love it.

And I guess that's the magic of carpet.

You can always replace it!


Head on over to We Work For Cheese where you can click on Nicky's linky thingy (that's not a euphemism) to see who's playing along with today's topic.






Comments

A few years back I took over a friends apartment downtown. The carpets had a real um, lived in smell to them. Years of humidity and dirt and stuff. No cats though. I think the smell predated my friends having lived there.
StubbornFool said…
A few years back I took over a friends apartment downtown. The carpets had a real um, lived in smell to them. Years of humidity and dirt and stuff. No cats though. I think the smell predated my friends having lived there.
nonamedufus said…
There's nothing like carpet for retaining odours. Our living room really smelled quite musty until we put down the hardwood floor. Someone had done a LOT of living in that room at one time.
Nicky said…
Ewwww. I lived in an apartment that had carpet everywhere... even the kitchen! Needless to say, with 2 kids, that carpet was a freakin' science experiment! Yeah, I'm totally with you on the hardwood floors.
Linda R. said…
We've gotten rid of most of the carpet that came with the house. Not because of smell, but it had just worn out or broken down with age, so that it just ripped up.

I thought this topic would be easier to write on. So far I've got nothing, but the day's not over yet.
babs (beetle) said…
I wish we had a warmer climate, so we didn't need carpet all over the house. I remember the days before fitted carpet and it was drafty and miserable in winter. Now we have awful summers too!
Linda Medrano said…
We had wall to wall carpet in our house and had it removed to find gorgeous hardwood floors underneath that yucky carpet. The floors were sanded and refinished and cleaned up beautifully considering they are the original douglas fur from 130 years ago. We have area rugs now and I like it much better than the wall to wall. The stairway has carpet and the upstairs as well. One day we'll get new hardwood for there as well. Or when we win the lottery. Either / or.
Cheryl P. said…
A agree that hardwards are beautiful. Our main floor is all hardwoods but we did have new carpet laid wall to wall on the other two floors. I wouldn't want to live on other peoples carpet but I like new carpet in the bedroom areas and stairs. We have lots of stairs that go up and down 3 floors.
Mike said…
There's nothing quite like real hardwood. When my parents removed the wall to wall from one of the houses we lived in, they found beautiful intact hardwood underneath. Exposing it transformed the house.
Quirky Loon said…
Wow I didn't realize that my inner cat has been wreaking havoc with my life and underpants.

HA!!!

Poor kitties.

And I envy that you have maple floors. Do you ever lick them to see if they taste sweet?

HA!!!!
nonamedufus said…
I've lived in a house with carpet in the bathroom but kitchen? Can you imagine the odours that have sunk into that rug and the staff that's been splayed on it? Wow.
nonamedufus said…
Well, maybe if you follow this comment "thread" you'll be suitably inspired!
nonamedufus said…
You poor Brits. I'll bet there was lost of red carpet around London last week, eh?
nonamedufus said…
You're so lucky to have found hardwood under the carpet. We didn't and had to buy new flooring. Maybe you'll have similar luck upstairs?
nonamedufus said…
Sounds like carpet is very practical in yur case. I'd love to replace the carpeted stairs with wood. But stairs can be costly. We'll see. There's al;ays something to fix up when you're a home owner.
nonamedufus said…
That would save a significant expense, wouldn't it. I wish we had been as lucky. I agree. There's nothing quite like hardwood floors. Much easier to clean, too.
nonamedufus said…
Yes, I lick them every day. So far, no splinters in my tongue. And I have the cleanest floors in the city.
babs (beetle) said…
Ha ha! I expect there must have been, though I didn't walk on any :)
You'd need magic to get cat urine out of carpets. The really mysterious thing to me is how people let that happen in their homes. Either get rid of the carpets, or better yet, the cats. But don't keep both and walk around on piss sponge and breath that odor every day. Ugh
Leeuna said…
We also have hardwood flooring throughout our house. I hate carpet. However, it is softer when you get knocked down by your 90 pound lab. (yes that happened.)
nonamedufus said…
I agree entirely. Get rid of those pissin' cats, man.
nonamedufus said…
I can see how you'd prefer carpet in that instance.
nonamedufus said…
You guts sure spent a bundle on commemorating the Queen's 60th anniversary. I'm just not in agreement with that.
babs (beetle) said…
You have to way it against how much money she brings into this country every year. People came from countries far and wide on that weekend, to spend their money in our country, so all was not lost ;)
nonamedufus said…
Well there is that...an aspect I hadn't thought of.
babs (beetle) said…
It's all clever business, and the 'people' have four days of enjoyment and celebrations, giving them a much needed boost in this gloomy financial climate :)
P.J. said…
Ha! This was a funny read. "The Life and Times of a Carpet Pissed on by Cats." :)
nonamedufus said…
Or "Catty Baba and the 40 Weaves"!
nonamedufus said…
You don't think maintaining the royal family to the lifestyle they're accustomed to contributes to that gloomy financial climate? I guess you can gather I'm not a big fan of the monarchy. Sorry about that.
babs (beetle) said…
They bring far more money into this country than people generally realize. They 'put into' this country far more than people generally realize They work tirelessly behind the scenes, with their various charities to help the less fortunate. Diana was the first royal to make her charity work visible to the public, and she was loved world wide because of it. The other royals have always done as much, maybe more, but far less visibly. Personally, I think that if we did away with them, our country would spiral downward. They mean more than money to us. Now, if we could find a way of doing away with bankers, I think we would all prosper ;)
As you can guess, I am proud of our royal family and all the pomp and ceremony, but totally understand that it's not for everyone. No need to apologise :)
nonamedufus said…
That's a side I hadn't thought of Babs. I guess my vitriol is more aimed at the canadian government more than the royals. They're spending millions on jubilee observances while their last budget is cutting where it really hurts people. Long live the Queen!
babs (beetle) said…
Don't get me started on governments. It's they that really rule, not the queen. No government can be trusted. They are all in it to line their own pockets at our expense. Now I will shut up :)
nonamedufus said…
Ha, ha. We finally agree!
babs (beetle) said…
Ha ha! On that we definitely do!
meleahrebeccah said…
I love that song by Steppenwolf.

And as much as I'd love to avoid all things traffic, this chick is way too scared of heights and flying to ever even consider taking a ride on a magic carpet!

Ugh! Cat-Pee carpets = GAGS.

Hooray for hardwood floors.
nonamedufus said…
I love that song too!

You'd be a great one on the double ferris wheel!

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