As one who lives with challenges to mobility, I am acutely aware of surfaces underfoot, whether inside or outside. Paved. Gravel. Brick. I tune myself in to flooring in the homes of people I visit, whether I’ve been there previously; it’s all about setting the stage for how I move. Will I need my crutches? Is the distance between potential ‘touch spots’ sufficient for me to move along without the crutches?
Here at Chez Rockwell, the floors are a combination of clickable laminate that is textured and non-slip and a commercial, no pile carpet.
I hate shoes and walk around in sock feet; textured laminate is safe to walk on without fear of slipping and it’s very easy to maintain. I had it installed in the most oft-used spaces in my home; TV room-office, kitchen, dining room, and on the landing at the front door. The rest of the main floor is a sand colored commercial, no pile carpet. Ceramic tile is in the bathroom. I don’t know where my head was on that choice.
Then there are the hand-hooked rugs, 3 of which I made as a young child, and 2 more created after I moved into my home in 1991. When I was young, my father felt that anything that would strengthen the spine and improve sitting balance and posture was always a good thing. Rug hooking was the therapy that wasn’t; I just remember enjoying creating them. During that period, I also did a lot of knitting, having been taught by my paternal grandmother to knit right-handed; I was the only leftie under the MacInnis roof. Dad used to comment that I was rather like Madame Defarge with her mad knitting. It reasoned that I’d have to become acquainted with the works of Dickens! Those three rugs created in my childhood I did not get until after Mom passed away. The same was true with other things I created over those years.
For years, in my home, my first rug creation was in the hallway between the two bedrooms; the other two were downstairs. Of the two last rugs made, one is in the living room and the other is the TV/room office. The living room rug creation used to be in front of the sofa but I moved it, thanks to the puppy behaviour of Mr. Malcolm. He was a busy little fellow in those early days, after he became more reliable with potty training and had greater freedom in the house. I didn’t always check on him so I am party to his crime of ‘chew it til there’s a big hole in it’.
His first major offence was committed weeks before the rug rearranging in the livingroom. He took it upon himself to nibble away at the hooked rug in the hallway to the point where there was a noticeable chunk missing - right in the middle, which was a solid colour section; the border was a floral design. I still haven’t thrown that rug out. It’s in the laundry room - perhaps I could have it cut in half and bind the edges. Shame to get rid of it. Right? But I digress.
The busy boy puppy just couldn’t help himself with that first rug. It had years of dog and cat scents aged into it; though washed a few times over the years, a dog’s nose knows! That rug, in his little canine brain, was an interloper into his personal space and just had to go and he was going to make that happen.
As to his stealth attack on the carpet in the living room, I’m convinced he discovered a bit of dried on canned food thanks to Miss Lexie! He just had to eat it, taking a bit of the carpet along with it. The hole, though not huge, was certainly noticeable but I wasn’t prepared to replace flooring so I did the next best thing. I morphed into Martha Stewart and put down one of my rug creations, positioned between two ottomans, covering the spot. Mr. M. has shown no interest in chewing, as my sister in law thought he’d do. He’s a big boy now! On to our next adventure.
Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell
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