Strangers are incredible. People I don't know are now attempting to raise funds so I can have Revolution to apply to ferals, so they can be free of fleas, earmites and roundworms for an entire month. So I can have the wormers and vaccines and cat food I need for rescues and cats who are being fixed. Strangers are doing this--strangers, out there in the cat blogosphere.
A stranger in Florida sent me some nice sunglasses a few weeks ago. I don't know her either. She likes cats and is a good person.
A stranger in Las Vegas has been good to me for years now. We've never met. She sends me encouragement, advice, even power tools and once, this printer I now use, which is cheaper for me, because of its larger ink cartridges that I can refill at Rapid Refill, so I can make cat adoption posters.
A Portland couple sends a donation occasionally. We've never met either.
A Portland man once sent me a gift certificate he said he didn't need. I'd been wearing shoes full of holes for a long time at that point. I got some shoes, because of the kindness of a stranger.
A stranger in Wisconsin has helped me out also. Once, a few years ago, a stranger in Seattle, an aerospace engineer, with a newly minted degree, sent me help and I couldn't believe it. I thought it must be a joke or a trick, but it wasn't. It was a kind stranger.
Maybe I don't have much support around here.
But strangers throughout this country have been incredibly good to me.
When I get down on people, I need to remember all the kindnesses I have received from strangers and they are many. Thank you, kind strangers, everywhere.
I think it's kind of like having angel shadowing me. I can't make out their faces, but they're out there, nonetheless.
Today, I ripped out more carpet, out in the living room, and painted the floor a first coat of primer. It's particle board floor beneath the carpet so it needs well sealed. The carpet was yukky. And there was a whole lot of it, plus the pad and tack strips.
I haven't finished. Lots more carpet to yank. But it doesn't take much effort actually. It's tacked only loosely on the edges. Then I roll the carpet up or cut it into smaller pieces and take it out to the garage. Then I pull up the pad and take it out. Then I pop off the tack strips around the edges and take them out. Then I scrape any rough edges and pull out staples that held the pad to the particle board and fill any little holes with spackling.
After that, I use a roller and paint the floor, which takes only a few minutes, with the first coat of primer. I put fans out, to dry it faster. And I kick back. I took out quite a large piece this evening, from the front door to the start of the dining room and to the edge of the hall that leads to the bedrooms.
I still have an area to do at one end of the living room, the entire dining room, the hall and my bedroom, if I yank it in my bedroom. I might leave it carpeted. The rest of the areas I've not yet yanked, will be easy.
But first I'm getting that one area I did today completely done, with two coats of primer and the finisher, then I'll move the furniture to that part, and finish the undone areas. I thought it would be harder and take longer, but it isn't hard at all. The hardest part is getting rid of all that old yukky carpeting and pad. I took the carpet out of the spare bedroom weeks ago, and painted that floor a gorgeous blue. My brother brought up paint for the rest of the floor. It's a pretty green. I'd take a picture, but right now my camera isn't working.
See, old shag carpet and cats don't mix. It's been kind of disgusting, actually, mainly because the carpet is mottled creams and browns, in color, which happens to be the same general color as cat poop, cat hairballs and cat vomit. I've stepped in each, barefoot, over the last weeks, living here. Each type of excretement is well camoflauged by the carpet. No more will there be carpet in this house. Yahooo! No more barefoot squishy surprises underfoot!
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