Memories of Old Carpets and Art Matters

Watch this Times video of Kidney Tranplants, scroll down.

A couple friends stopped by.

I gave them a tour of my house. Showed them the new carpet I got before my kidney t'plant last April. I spilled coffee on it last week - I could not believe my carelessness - but got it out by goggling How to Remove Coffee Stain. Well, most of it, anyway.

It's so much fun showing people my house. It makes me appreciate it even more. At the end of this blog I'll show you the folks who put it my newest carpets.

Here's what I had for lunch. Dig those peas in the pod.

I'm reading short stories by Andre Dubus, all of which are love stories. The one I read last nite was mercifully short - about a married 25-yr-old guidance counselor who is having an affair w/a 16-yr-old student. She plots how her young lover should kill her husband. It's so ridiculous, the thot that they can get away with it. Dubus failed to provide a sympathetic portrait of the woman and the underlying reason she wanted to kill this good man.

When I worked for Art Matters, I interviewd Sam Maitin in his Center City apartment/studio, he had two huge white pillars he'd made. I always wanted to make something like that, but never have.

Below are 3 pieces of artwork, the top is Outdoor Sculpture by Maitin, I think.





My 2 collages above were unearthed when I got new carpets and all my furniture was moved around. A good opp for me to reacquaint myself with who I am and what-all I've done.

Here's DeWayne Moore of Abington putting in the hall & stair carpet. That man was fast! He finished in about three hours, leaving a thick coating of dust in the living room.

Old stair carpet.

Here's Nick DellaGuardia, owner of Specialty Flooring in Roslyn.

Nick came out to the house so he could advise me about the best-looking rug for my stairs and middle bedroom.

I always buy 'remants' b/c it saves loads of money.

My laundry room is carpeted with the same brown carpet as at the Willow Grove mall!

No wonder whenever I go into the laundry room I wanna go on a buying spree. 

Can you believe how awful the old pink carpet looks? This was Sarah's room before she flew away into adulthood.

After she went to college, she never came home again. That's next-door-boyfriend's Scott's house.

Flecka Valasquez from Puerto Rico, who Nick said is very strong, not a woman to tangle with, lays floors w/her ex-boyfriend Darwin can't-remember-his-last-name from Ecuador.



I invited my neighbors in to show off the eggshell white carpet and matching walls.

Nick sent me Rich Claire to paint Sarah's room. Very interesting guy who fought in Vietnam.

Sarah's room before it was painted. I used it as a huge storage room but am turning it into a "sitting room."

Your team at Specialty Floors. Son/law Doug, in the white shirt, will take over when Nick, on far end, retires. Wife Sandy helps out and crochets. I've bought several of her scarves and a blanket for Baby Grace, who ain't no baby no more.