Creatures of Habit

We are doing a bit of long overdue sprucing up around the house that has sent the dogs into a mild state of alarm. First project was new carpet for the stairs that seemed to be a straight forward endeavor. Until we selected a pattern that would not wrap around the bottom banister newel and necessitated exposing the wood on the bottom two stairs. Which looked so great that we decided to put a runner on the stairs not the wall to wall that had been there. So we had to refinish all of the stairs.

"No problem," said our wonderful painter who worked magic as always. The first day he exposed the bottom two stairs which for some reason had never been stained. He left the carpet running down the middle of the remaining stairs which meant we could use them. The dogs were so upset by the lack of carpet on the bottom stairs (only on their way down the stairs; going up they were fine), that they would get two steps from the bottom and stand there, totally bewildered. Amos even jumped over the last two stairs and then went sliding down the hall on the tile floor we have throughout the downstairs. (Couldn't have been too good for those arthritic elbows...)

Yesterday, however, did them in. All of the carpet disappeared and all of the stairs are now exposed wood. To protect his work, the painter hung yellow police tape across the bottom and put a baby gate across the top. Luckily we have a back staircase, but the dogs were positively stymied. Phoebe stood in the center hall and crowed like a rooster at the yellow tape that would not permit her to go upstairs. Amos just walked in circles. I took them up and down the back staircase about six times, but it just wouldn't sink in. They knew they got upstairs, but they couldn't remember how!

Today, the painter finished touching up the molding along the steps so the stairs are still off limits although there is no yellow tape. It is actually irrelevant; the dogs will not go up and down those stairs without carpeting. Which wouldn't be a problem if they weren't used to following me everywhere all day. So right now I have two very miffed canines, who are more than welcome to use the back staircase with carpet, but who instead look at me with these eyes that tell me how very disappointed they are in my behavior. After all, we are just guests in their house and right now we aren't behaving like we will be invited back!

Stay tuned. The new carpet doesn't come for another week!