Night 3 of the work in the dining room. I wonder at what number I'll start referring to the nights as part of a prison sentence in hard labor.  I decided to give myself a break tonight and I finished up what I wanted to accomplish in time to come out on the deck to relax with the girls while the sky began to get dark (and type this entry).

Goal #1:  Sweep up more gunk - CHECK (it's amazing how much dust and disintegrating carpet and padding doesn't get sucked up through the carpet by a vacuum)
Goal #2:  Test out the pry tool I have - CHECK (it worked, but not fantastically, I'll definitely be stopping to pick up a flat pry bar to make the rest of the tack strip removal easier)
Goal #3:  Give the floor a light washing - CHECK (Basic H and Murphy's Oil Soap cleared some black gunk off of the floor and removed more dust and grime.  It also allowed me to find 3 more staples I had missed.)
Goal #4:  Remove the rest of the staples - CHECK (I'm 100% confident in this one thanks to doing the hand wash.  Let me tell you how many persnickety staples felt the need to snap off and fought being plucked from the wood.)