Put Da Lime In Da Coconut

Yesterday Leslie and I were commiserating with each other about the poor quality of products we are forced to buy.  You know what I’m talking about – the appliances that don’t live up to your expectations.  The products that break the day after the warranty expires even though you’d done your homework and spent hours of valuable time researching the product before you bought it.  Valuable time you could have spent on the phone with Qwest (who commented!) or writing letters to Optimum/Bresnan after you spent eight hours waiting for a repair/reinstall guy who never showed up.**  

I was complaining about our GE stove which has required the same part to be replaced twice in 3 ½ years.  And then I moved on to our Electrolux refrigerator and how the automatic in-the-door-ice-maker-dispenser had stopped working only two years after we bought it and cannot be replaced or repaired.  Okay, we didn’t research that one.  Dean really, really liked the LED lights in the freezer drawer.  Heck, why should I care?  In my many, many, many, many years on this earth, until two years ago, I’d never had an ice-in-the-door-dispenser.  I’d never had any kind of automatic ice maker – let-alone one with an in-the-door-dispenser – unless you count me automatically refilling the ice tray every time I saw it on the counter.  So what if I don’t have a working in-the-door-automatic-ice-maker-dispenser – what’s the big deal?  Here’s the big deal.  There’s a honkin’ lot of space taken up by a broken ice maker that doesn’t even stay cold so it’s not like I can throw in the ice I keep buying and pretend like it works.   

 

And it’s HOT outside.  

And if it’s hot outside, that means it’s hot inside my house because even though my box fan says it has a “cool/warm” setting I’ve yet to feel any cool air coming out of it. 

 

 So we’re buying a LOT of ice.  Because we’re drinking a LOT of icy cold gin & tonics … I mean water.

Anyway, when I had to stop to breathe, Leslie complained about not being able to find an iron that would actually take out the wrinkles – not just flatten them.  As we were bitching discussing our frustrations, I looked around and realized I HAD purchased one item that DID live up to its promises.  It’s not an appliance and it doesn’t have any moveable parts to break but it’s an item I’ve been searching for pretty much all of my married life.  And that means I've been searching for a very, very, very long time.  I've been searching for the perfect rug.  Sounds silly doesn’t it, but think about it.   

Have YOU found the perfect rug?  The rug that doesn’t fall apart 

or lose its rubber backing after multiple washings? 

 

The rug that is so attractive it’s not only an accessory but also so functional and durable it does what a rug was designed to do – protect your maple floors from your husband's cooking, collect the dirt he drags in from the garden, and soak up the dog water bowl slobbers.

Have you actually gone rug shopping?  It’s not fun.  I’ve bought a lot of rugs.  And I wash them a lot.  And they fall apart.  And then I buy another one.  And the whole cycle starts over.  I’ve spent way too much money on rugs and I didn’t even like most of them.  But guess what?  I have found the perfect rug.  And you can get one here.  

I’ll be honest with you.  I believed that webbing from my sandals (okay, not MY sandals, the rugs are made from  new webbing) could actually be woven into a rug, but I wasn’t really convinced it would be an attractive addition to my kitchen.  Come on, sandal webbing as a rug?  How attractive can that really be?  Maybe as a door mat in front of my tent but in my kitchen … or my living room?  But I was hoping it would at least hold up to dog toenails and grandkids with popsicles, and husbands with muddy shoes.  I was willing to put up with “eh, it’s okay” in the pretty department if it would just last more than a year.

I was alone in the kitchen when I opened the box containing these rugs and as soon as I saw them I started talking.  Out loud.  To nobody.  Now that in itself is not out of character.  I talk to the gas pump – “are you kidding me?  I already swiped my card twice.  If you want to read it quit telling me to remove it quickly.”

I talk to the radio, “you're an idiot Senator/Representative _______” (fill in a name ... any name ... you have lots to choose from).  And I most especially swear at talk to my computer.  But when I peeked into the box of rugs there was no whining or back-talking or swearing.  I was marveling.  HO ~ LY COW – these rugs are a work of art.  They are be ~ u ~ ti ~ ful.  And substantial.  And reversible!  I was so in love with them I ordered two more.

   And then the second two came in the mail.  Geezo peezo.  I love them even more.

 

But even though the colors were so bright they seemed to sparkle, and the workmanship was exceptional, I was still a little worried about how they would survive being washed.  So I put that off for a while because I didn’t want to be disappointed.  If they fell apart or the colors bled or they didn't hold their shape I just didn’t want to begin the quest for the perfect rug all over again.  However, I can only put off washing rugs in my house for so long.  Apparently it's impossible to cook creative meals, or complicated meals or simple meals or actually any kind of meal in our house without alot of mess and spills and dribbles – many of which fall to the rug.  And Shadow DOES seem to need to eat every day which then leads to slobbery drinking.  So … yesterday I threw one of the rugs into the washing machine and held my breath.  Only one, though.  I didn’t want to risk ruining all of them … just in case.  It looked good coming out of the washing machine but there was still the dryer to go so I threw it in and crossed my fingers.  Figuratively of course.  It takes too long to squeeze a lime … I mean add ice to my water, with crossed fingers.  When I pulled it out later it was P E R F E C T.

So, I still don’t have an in-the-door-ice-maker-dispenser and my stove is probably due for another part any day now, and Ryan's still wearing shirts with flat wrinkles, but my quest for the perfect rug has ended.   If you've been on the same quest, your search can end too.  They will be restocking their shop soon so you will be able to see lots more pictures their rugs. (I know because I couldn't wait any longer to tell you about these rugs so I asked.)  But if you can't wait, you can do what I did. Get in touch with them by clicking on the "contact" button and give them an idea of your color scheme.  I even sent photos of my kitchen.  And then clear some space in your house.  Because when you open that box you're going to be doing the happy dance.  Oh, and do yourself a favor.  Throw out your old rugs before you start dancing.  I'd feel really bad if you caught your toe in that hole in your ragged braid rug and then fell and broke your wrist because it'd make it really hard for you to squeeze the limes.  Just sayin'.

I only offer one warning to any of you who may think you want to buy one for yourself. 

Beware.  Once you see one on your floor you will want more.  

 

**They did come -- five days later. 

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Put Da Lime In Da Coconut