Busy, Busy

A visit from my daughter over the weekend so we could take a trip to the Udvar-Hazy Center, a.k.a the Air and Space Annex.  Such an awesome space - it tickles me to look out and see large planes look small:

And Discovery, of course, and Enola Gay and the SR-71 Blackbird. And all the barn-burners and crop dusters and military planes.  And, of course, the helicopters and gyrocopters.  I look at the one that was advertised as a kit that teens could build and fly and think "Yeah, as a parent that is already terrified of my kid driving a car I'm gonna want him flying around in that, too.  In a thing you have to have steel soled shoes to brake with."

And then "Lincoln".  Yeah, I know.  Spielberg is an idiot, but if I skipped every movie and play involving idiots I'd never see anything.  And this is a fine, fine movie, focusing around Lincoln's drive to get the 13th Amendment passed in the House.  And Day-Lewis is extraordinary.  Some people are fussing about the high voice - but that is how he sounded, a tenor with a mid-western twang.

I've finally decided something has to be done about the downstairs carpet.  Three cats and one of them has a pee problem and no matter what I've soaked the carpet with the downstairs was beginning to smell like one of THOSE people's houses and I can't stand it.  Trouble has been, beyond expense, that there was no sense in putting down new carpet, even stain resistant, if the problem is going to reoccur.  Finally, someone mentioned the idea of laying down vinyl that looks like hardwood and using inexpensive rugs that can be hauled out and scrubbed.  Ah! So last night I pulled up the worst area to check and see if I'll have to have sub-flooring replaced.  Nope, sub-flooring is fine, but just hauling that section of carpet and padding out of the house has much improved the smell.

Gotta go get boxes and start hauling books into the laundry room so furniture can be moved.  And maybe ponder why I always decide to do major home stuff just before Christmas.