The Challenges Of Buying Furniture During A Pandemic

 We live in a very small place.  We only have two recliners, a desk chair, a bed and two chairs that live on the balcony.  When the pandemic started, Mom told Dad that their recliners were going to be worn out before it ended.  It hasn't ended but the chairs are pretty worn out. Dad has a pillow that he puts under his butt for comfort.  Last week, Mom was sitting in her recliner and we heard a loud noise that we thought was in the kitchen, but it was her chair!  It sounded like something exploded!  It turns out it was a spring that came off the chair.  We only found part of it. It must have been connected to the foot rest because now it just pops open when she sits down. She says it is less work.  😂

Mom has been searching for new recliners on and off for about a year.  She found some she liked at Sam's Club a few years ago and she hoped she could buy them, but the store doesn't have them and she was scared to buy a chair that she hadn't sat in. She thinks she found the chairs on their website but the reviews are terrible.  She looked at the local furniture store several months ago, but she didn't like anything.  

If you have shopped for furniture, you know that most places do not have anything in stock.  We have been told the wait is about eight weeks.  Grandma said she was told six months. 😦

Last week, Mom started looking again.  She decided to look at Amazon.  She really didn't think she would find anything she liked and she really didn't want to buy a chair that she hadn't tried out.  She was surprised to find a chair that she liked and it was an Ashley Furniture chair.  Mom checked the Ashley Furniture website and they showed the same chair.  Mom called the store and asked if they had it on display and they said they did.  The folks left the Island and drove the 1/2 hour to the store.  There was a line of salesmen waiting at the door.  Mom showed them the chair on her phone that she wanted to see.  The salesman looked it up and then escorted the folks to the chair. The chair was not the same color and it included a massager and a heater but the man said it was the same chair.  The folks both sat it in and they liked it.  The salesman said they could order it in our color and it would take about eight weeks.  It was $150 more than Amazon.  The folks said they needed to think about it.

The folks decided to order the chairs from Amazon.  Easy, right?  WRONG!  Mom put the two recliners in her cart and when she tired to check out, it said they couldn't deliver to us.  Mom tried it several times.  She put Grandma's address in and it said the same thing so it wasn't that they wouldn't deliver to the Island. Grandma lives a few states away from us. Mom then tried the same chair in a different color and there were no problems with that chair.  Mom didn't want that color though.  She decided to see if the problem would fix itself, but four days later, she still couldn't order it.  She then decided to chat with Amazon.  She thought that would be an ordeal but the representative said he showed they could deliver to us.  He told her to clear her cache and cookies and try again.  It still didn't work.  He said it must be a glitch in their system.  Mom figured at that point she could just call and place and order but decided to wait. She started having second thoughts.  She was also aggravated that clearing all the cookies and caches also cleared her passwords and she had to figure those out again. Four days later and she is still finding issues.

Throughout the week, Mom kept watching the recliners on Amazon and the number of available kept going down so she knew that people were ordering them, but we still could not.  Last night, it said they were down to six, so Mom decided to try it again and guess what? She was able to place the order!  Our new recliners are scheduled to be here next Thursday.  They have already shipped.  

I sure hope they like the new recliners. They can be returned but we really don't want to go through all of that.  We also have to get rid of our current chairs.  We can't do that until the new ones arrive and then we have to do it immediately because we don't have room for four chairs.  It will all work out.

I will post a photo once the new chairs arrive.

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Is Enjoying Cool Weather Today

Petroglyph National Monument

 We decided to make one more stop at a national monument on our trip.  This one is called Petroglyph National Monument.  This was another one that I was allowed to walk with the folks.  Mom really enjoyed it until Dad told her that we needed to get a move on because we had to be at our campground before sunset and it was further away than he thought.  We didn't get to walk the entire trail.  We walked about half and it was an easy walk.

The rest of the day was spent driving.  We arrived at Leasburg Dam State Park about 5 p.m.  I did not like this place at all.  Gravel, gravel, gravel.  I had to walk across gravel to get to a trail that was a cactus garden trail.  Mom kept an eye out for cactus and rattlesnakes while we walked it.  There was some dried out grass at the end of it but no matter how long Mom tried to get me to poo, I refused.  She was really worried I would get her up in the middle of the night but I am no fool, I didn't want to walk out there again. 

Our site at Leasburg Dam State Park

We left the next morning early because it was another long day of driving but Mom said we would be back in Texas. We crossed the state line early in the day, but I didn't see grass for quite a while.  We found some fake grass at a gas station and I was happy with that.  We arrived at South Llano State Park around 4 p.m.  There really wasn't grass, but there was dirt and weeds and that was fine with me. We forgot to take pictures here. Out site was nice and it was close to the restrooms.  Mom showered here but didn't like it because of the spiders.  They were large.

The next day we hit the road around 8 a.m. and we pulled into the parking lot of our condo at 3 p.m.  It was so nice to be home.  I was so excited when I walked into the condo that I jumped on the folks' bed and ran in circles.  

It has been nice being home. Everyone knows my name here and they all asked how my trip was and they said they missed me.

We were gone for seven weeks!  I missed my beach and my friends, but I am ready to go again.  Mom said we are going away for a few days around New Year's, so I guess I have that to look forward to.

Petrified Forest National Park

 Our next stop on our way home was Petrified Forest National Park.  This turned out to be one of Mom's favorite National Parks.  They actually allow dogs to walk on the trails, but it was so cold and windy that I only did one.  We actually broke out the winter coats while we were there.

The wood feels smooth, like glass.  

Route 66 is right there in the park.

Mom has been getting her National Park Passport Book stamped since 2012.  She has wanted to get the collector editions book but no one had it until this park. She was so excited and it was priced below what she saw it for online at the National Park's store before it sold out.  The employee told her they were increasing the price at the end of the week. She plans on copying her old stamps and putting them in this one.

The new book vs. the old one.

The first stamp in the new book.

We planned to stay in a Walmart parking lot, but the temperature was supposed to be 21 degrees, so once again we had to scramble for a campground.  Mom called several until we came up with one.  It was actually called Route 66 Casino RV Park in Albuquerque, NM. This was a nice park and it had two dog parks.  The dog parks had grass! We didn't know for sure if they would accept us because we are in a van and they are more upscale.  They had one site left and they gave it to us.

This dog park had some gravel and sand but it had grass!

Another stop on Route 66 before we stopped for the night.

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Was Not Allowed To Pee on The Petrified Wood

I stood on a corner in Winslow, AZ!

 After being on the road for 6.5 weeks, it was time to begin the long trip home.  Mom said there was a corner in Winslow, AZ that she wanted to stand on.  I didn't really understand until she sang me the song.  I have to admit, it was fun to stand on that corner.

Hey, mister, I like your song.

Our plan was to stay in the visitor center's parking lot, but the folks didn't know how safe it would be and high winds were predicted for the night.  We decided to drive on and stay in a campground, but it was not easy to find a vacancy.  We ended up staying in a place called OK Campground and that about describes it.  I hated it because the dog park was gravel.  Mom and I walked and walked until I finally found a spot to do my poo.  There were big burrs we found while walking so that was not good.   Mom refused to take a shower there because the shower house was old and dirty.  It was a safe place to stay and we were parked between two big RVs and we didn't feel the wind that got up to 50 mph.

This was the all gravel dog park.  I refused to walk in it.

We explored a little bit of Route 66.  Mom wants to do the whole thing but count me out until Arizona gets rid of their gravel.

Wigwam Resort in Holbrook, AZ

Our trip home continues in the next post.

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Hates Gravel

Sighthound Shivoo 2021

 We came to Kanab, UT for the greyhound gathering which is called the Sighthound Shivoo because it is not just for greyhounds anymore. There were other sighthounds there.

The event began on a Friday night.  The first event was a talent show.  I did not participate, but I definitely could have because I know how to sit, stay, lay down.  Those were the basic things that the dogs did.  I also am an excellent package carrier.  Mom decided that I probably didn't want to get on stage and she was correct.  I did learn how to bark at the event.  Most of the greyhounds did a roo which is basically a howl.  I just barked and at the end I did a roo.  I tried to get the rooing going again but no one listened to me.

Me watching the show.

The second day of the event, we were supposed to go on a hike.  It was canceled due to rain. It rained all day.  The event was supposed to be held outside, but it had to be moved inside.  I don't really like to be stuck inside with other hounds because I don't like hounds sneaking up on me and sniffing me while I am relaxing, so I stayed in the van.  The folks went to the event in the afternoon to listen to a few speakers and to shop. There was all you can eat pizza from Pizza Hut for dinner.  An auction was held and grab bags were given out.  

Saturday was our parade.  I dressed in my Mardi Gras outfit.  There was supposed to be music, but there was a problem with it, so it didn't start working until we were done.  I won a collar for my costume.  Mom was happy about that.  The afternoon was another day of auctions and grab bags.  I won a coat and a purple leash that goes well with my Mardi Gras outfit.  Lunch was chicken pitas but it wasn't really chicken. We spent the evening at Best Friends which is an animal sanctuary.  We took a driving tour of Best Friends earlier in the week.  It was a chilly night at Best Friends.  It was held at Angels Landing.  There was a happy hour with wine, beer, nuts and dog treats.  There were also auctions and grab bags.

Angels Landing- My Dad is in the red coat on the left side and I am there wearing my new coat.  Mom is getting treats at the front.

We don't know this gal.  Mom just thought she was cute.

This guy was a real character.  He had Mom laughing all weekend

This is a cookie with the the logo of the event.

Another cookie.

The last day of the event was on a Sunday.  I participated in the Blur of Fur.  This is where the hounds show off their running skills.  The folks didn't think I would run because I don't like to run.  I rarely run when given the chance.  I found the event very exciting.  I loved watching the other dogs take their turn to run.  Each dog runs by themselves with their Mom or Dad calling them.  I was more than ready when it was my turn, however, just as I was ready to show my stuff, they stopped the action.  The dog before me didn't want to stop running and they couldn't catch him.  I had to wait.  I lost a little bit of my excitement but I was still clocked at 15 mph by the radar gun.  Mom said I would have been faster if they hadn't made me wait.   The folks were really impressed with me.  There is a video but Mom can't make it work here. 

After the Blur of Fur, I decided I was done with the event and went to the van and watched TV. The folks had lunch which was an Indian Taco. There was another auction and the last of the grab bags were handed out.  That was the end of the event. 

We enjoyed the event.  The people were nice and it was well organized.  We were given nice program booklets that told us where everything was and it included maps. The event included three meals and there was more than enough food.  That has not been the case at the other event we have attended.

We enjoyed our time in Kanab, but with the event over it was time to hit the road and held home.  

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Can Run When He Wants