Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Of fleas and floors

     Finally taking the plunge into the world of blogging so that we can share our progress with loved ones and stay motivated to keep up the good work!
     Steven, Lily, and I have been staying in the house since July 24, but our move from the apartment wasn't officially complete until this past Sunday (31st). Our first night in the house was completely horrible... Just as we were getting our bedroom somewhat set up, I discovered that there were fleas everywhere! 



     If only we had known before we moved all the furniture, we could have flea bombed the place. I would never have expected to see a flea problem in a house that has no carpet, so our only guess is that they were hiding out in the old curtains that were still hanging. Steven tossed those ASAP. Within a couple of hours, our dog Lily was completely covered with them. She's been taking a monthly Trifexis tablet, which kills fleas after they bite her, but it wasn't until the following morning that we really saw an improvement. 
     I read that the easiest way to combat fleas was to become a very dedicated vacuumer and regularly wash anything that will fit into your machine. We also immediately dusted the yard with a powder called diatomaceous earth. This substance is basically fossilized diatoms (a type of algae), and it kills fleas by causing their bodies to dehydrate. It's also great because it is safe for people, pets, and plants. After taking these steps, the number of fleas we were seeing nosedived, and we're well on our way to being flea free after just one week!

Found plenty of helpful information on getting rid of fleas here: http://www.beyondfleas.com/

Cool tip: put a flea collar or some diatomaceous earth in your vacuum bag to kill the fleas that get sucked up :)

     On to happier news, Steven and I got started on some demolition tonight. I'm very excited to share our first set of before and after pics!

Before

 After

     Why anyone would cover that up is beyond us. It might have taken us a couple hours to uncover this much, so it shouldn't be much longer before the entry is looking a whole lot better. Oh, and we think there is another layer of hardwood flooring under this one (laid in the opposite direction), so we'll see what happens with that, haha.
     As part of our 203(k) rehabilitation loan, we are having some contracted work done to get things started. This includes adding central heat and air upstairs, which is currently underway. It's taking a little longer than expected though, since the workers are only able to do their thing upstairs for a couple hours in the morning. With the ridiculous heat we've been having, it's definitely well over 100 degrees up there.
     

6 comments:

  1. Poor Lily! I bet she was dying to go back home (the apartment) after the attack! The wood floors are beautiful! I'm really happy for you both!

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  2. Congrats, Mary Lee! Hope the renovations go well for you guys. Do you know much about the history of your new house? If so, I would love for you to write a little piece for my blog! I need some material outside of Lynchburg and Mulberry, lol1!

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  3. I think this blog is a great idea! Not only does a Mom get to see the new house but she gets to see that someone has another beard. Who knew? I am so excited for you two as you make this in to your home. This blog will be a great resource to look back and see all what you have accomplished especially when you feel as if you can not get through another project. When it is all done you can fill it up with lots of stuff, lots of memories and pairs of little feet. No....I did not say paws. :) I love you and miss you both and hope to see you soon. Hmmmm. Another beard?

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  4. Sorry We haven't commented. We just figured out how to set it to let us comment.

    @Rachel: She definitely was odd about the new place but has seemed to have adapted to her new back yard and extra space. I think she connected that flea attacks meant constant grooming checks from dad and she would fall asleep as I looked her over.

    @Jillian: I am sure Mary Lee would not mind writing a piece for your blog as she is wanting to find out more about the house and the mill as well. Keep in touch and we should have good information later on down the road.

    @MIL: Mom, expect the pitter patter of little paws before feet.

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  5. I think leave what you uncovered. It appears that it would clean up nice and now you have two structural layers; why remove one? Plus...I can only imagine the number of nail holes you would have to fill.

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  6. i love lily's face in that last shot! glad y'all discovered DE...we had to keep a layer of it on our carpets upstairs after a bad flea infestation a couple of years ago. If you do any wall demo, you can place it INSIDE of the walls before covering them back up and it will help control pests.

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