The rental

Since the first order of operations is demolition, we need to get out of here before The Project can officially kick off.

After weeks of compulsively refreshing Zillow, Craigslist, etc. we finally landed a place to call home for the next year. The rental market in our area is not exactly robust, so we went in knowing we’d need to be flexible with our wish list. We prioritized price (between $5-$6k a month), three bedrooms, and a location that was within biking distance of the girls’ high school. Our “nice-to-haves” list included two bathrooms, central air conditioning, and fenced-in outdoor space for our dog and cat. I’m delighted to report that we found a place that checked off all these boxes.

Unfortunately, it also has something we did not want: wall-to-wall carpeting. Carpeting everywhere. Sooo much carpeting.

Daughter #1 and I are allergic to everything. Is it alive and growing on this great Earth? Then it’s one of our allergens. You know what’s not great for allergy sufferers? Carpeting. [And yes, dogs and cats are also growing on this Earth, and yes, we have one of each. Some things are simply worth the cost of admittance.] We’ve both had years of allergy injections to make our (non-carpeted) lives possible. I see a lot of HEPA-filters and vacuuming in our future.