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Putting Out An IKEA SOS

October 1, 2014 at 7:50 am by Claudia

Dear friends, I’m putting out a call for help.

I have long wanted to buy some roll-up blinds that IKEA carries to replace the blinds I’m using in the living room and bathroom. But, because of budget, funds, not being able to get to IKEA, you name it, I put it off. I had planned to buy them at the IKEA in New Haven, which happens to be right next to where Don will be performing in Our Town. So, the other day, I went online to check stock at IKEA New Haven.

None.

And when I clicked on the box “Check future stock” I got a message that said the blind was being discontinued. Oh no!

So, like a crazy person, I checked stock at several IKEAs. Many were totally out. Some had a few. The one in Tampa showed low levels of stock. So I sent my sister there yesterday and she was able to find one in the width I need: 31″. I need four. Or, at the very least – three.

emmie roll-up blind2

The odds are not in my favor and I’m so disappointed I might have missed out on these! If you live near an IKEA and are willing, can you call and/or stop by to see if there are any of these left in stock? Emmie Roll-Up Blind – 31½ inches. Maybe, just maybe, there might be some available. I tried to check stock this morning, but the levels aren’t loading correctly – unless all stock mysteriously disappeared overnight.

Anyway, it’s a longshot, but I thought putting out an SOS to all of you might do the trick.

I will pay you, of course!

Maybe IKEA Canada, as well?

I’ve seen them on eBay, where ‘entrepreneurs’ are now selling them for $50. Really? That’s quite the mark-up!

If you are willing to check, I would be so very appreciative. They aren’t available online, only in the stores.

Now I’m worried that because it’s October 1st and no stock is showing, that the line has been discontinued officially.

Edited to add: If you check online, it will show as not available. It would be best to call the store directly to see if there is any stock left.

Update again: I used the link that reader Donna sent me and bought 2 more blinds on eBay. Not for $50, but for $29 each. Yes, more than at IKEA, but much less that what I’d been seeing on eBay. I could use one more, so if anyone finds one hanging about at an IKEA, I’d be most appreciative! Thank you, lovely readers.

Boy, timing is everything, isn’t it?

Thanks so much.

I’m off to cough and cough and cough, which is all I seem to do lately.

Happy Wednesday.

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Random Thoughts: Curmudgeon Edition

September 30, 2014 at 8:40 am by Claudia

• First of all, did some of you miss yesterday’s book review? I’m thinking that must be the case because I’m giving away a copy of Deborah Crombie’s newest, To Dwell in Darkness, and where are all the comments? There should be a lot more than there are. You’re not interested in a free hardcover edition of an excellent book?? Really?

• Too much reality television. Too much. As I man the remote here at the hotel, I am stunned by how much of that inferior, lowest-common-denominator stuff there is on the tube. First of all, it’s not reality, it’s pretty much engineered and scripted to appeal to a demographic that likes to slow their cars to gawk at car accidents. Will this trend never end? I find it demoralizing and very sad, indeed. And yes, before you say it, I know there are exceptions in this genre. But very few. So, it’s Law and Order reruns once again.

• What is with ‘gah?’ – I now see it everywhere, including blog posts. Is this the new way of saying ‘yikes’ or ‘oy’ or ‘s*#t?’ I’m not a fan. It’s singularly unimaginative. But then again, those using it don’t care whether I’m a fan or not.

• I have now gone through so much kleenex, I should own stock in Puffs. Or Kleenex with lotion. I bought a mega sized box yesterday, with fingers crossed that it’s the last one I have to buy.

• Why do advertisers assume that any woman of 61 years must be ready for Depends, must have so many aches and pains that she absolutely wants to hear all the product-shill information that pharmaceutical companies have to offer repeatedly on television, must be ready to retire, must be un-hip, must be a mere shadow of who she was? I get so sick of this crap. I see it on television, throughout the media and even in the ad opportunities I get on this blog. It drives me nuts. For the record: I work in the Arts, I don’t need Depends, I’m funny and witty and pretty gosh-darned hip for my ‘age.’ I’m well read, I’m a fighter for social causes, I’m active, I mow a massive front lawn and a back forty that would make your head spin, I am passionate and, my husband tells me, sexy. And I’m a consumer. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Stop generalizing about your target groups. All twenty-somethings aren’t alike. Likewise every other age group. Show some originality.

End of that rant.

scout on the road 3

• I know everyone isn’t a dog lover. I get it. But my dog, always on a leash, is – let’s face it – adorable. She’s beautiful. She smiles. She has a twinkle in her eye. And when I’m walking her, she does a little hop on her right front leg that, at the very least, usually brings a smile to a passer-by’s face, and often the question “What’s wrong with her?” It sparks concern. It’s endearing, in a slightly loopy way.

I take no credit for her beauty, of course, but she is beautiful. She is sweet, At this point in her life she barks rarely, and she shyly stops to greet everyone.

But there are those who look right at her as she smiles at them with what I can only describe as a very mean look – a look filled with animosity and/or contempt. It’s very strange. Now, let me assure you, most of the people Scout encounters smile at her, or ask if they can pet her. And I’m not counting those who are busy and whose minds are clearly on something else. I get that.

But mean looks? Those are the people I don’t want to get to know, thank you very much. You are not going to be my friend. Yes, you may be lukewarm on the subject of dogs. You may be a cat person. Or you may be a no-pets-at-all person. I respect that. But a mean look? No. That ain’t gonna cut it.

• Still sick, but slowly getting a bit better each day. It’s now in my chest, but I’m ‘expectorating’ and I just have to be patient. Very tired, of course. But I have a light day today, which helps.

Happy Tuesday.

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Book Review: To Dwell in Darkness by Deborah Crombie

September 29, 2014 at 9:00 am by Claudia

To Dwell in Darkness

Today I am reviewing To Dwell in Darkness by Deborah Crombie for TLC Book Tours. As always I am provided with a copy of the book in return for my honest review.

About the book (from the publisher): In the tradition of Elizabeth George, Louise Penny, and P.D. James, New York Times bestselling author Deborah Crombie delivers a powerful tale of intrigue, betrayal, and lies that will plunge married detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James into the unspeakable darkness that lies at the heart of murder.

Recently transferred to the London borough of Camden from Scotland Yard headquarters, Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his new murder investigation team are called to a deadly bombing at historic St. Pancras Station. By fortunate coincidence, Melody Talbot, Gemma’s trusted colleague, witnesses the explosion. The victim was taking part in an organized protest, yet the other group members swear the young man only meant to set off a smoke bomb. As Kincaid begins to gather the facts, he finds every piece of the puzzle yields an unexpected pattern, including the disappearance of a mysterious bystander.

The bombing isn’t the only mystery troubling Kincaid. He’s still questioning the reasons behind his transfer, and when his former boss – who’s been avoiding him – is attacked, those suspicions deepen. With the help of his former sergeant, Doug Cullen, Melody Talbot, and Gemma, Kincaid begins to untangle the truth. But what he discovers will leave him questioning his belief in the job that has shaped his life and values – and remind him just how vulnerable his precious family is.

My review: Once again, Deborah Crombie has written a thoroughly engaging mystery that I dare you to put down. I mentioned in an earlier post that I wanted to pace myself with this one, to savor it, to linger over the words, knowing that it would be another year until a new book came out.

I couldn’t do it. I simply had to keep reading. That’s because Crombie is a gifted writer, skilled in plotting the twist and turns of a mystery, in juggling a large cast of characters, and in weaving the various plot strands together along the way to a bang-up ending. This particular plot, revolving around a protest gone terribly wrong, takes Kincaid and Crombie’s recurring cast of characters down many paths in their quest for the truth, each one more mystifying.

What I love about this novel and all of Crombie’s novels in the series, is the way she has made various characters from earlier mysteries a part of the overall life of the novels. A veterinarian, a caregiver, a musician and more, all of them part of earlier plots and mysteries, are now a part of the daily life of Kincaid and James. They’ve been enfolded and welcomed and, to the reader who has followed these mysteries from the beginning, they are like old friends. And now we have new characters, those on Kincaid’s new murder investigation team, each of them interesting and compelling – as are all Crombie’s characters. She has a gift for character development, each one wholly individual, richly detailed, with a past that informs who he/she is in the present.

Not only is there the immediate mystery, that of the bombing in St. Pancras Station, to solve, there is the overarching mystery that spans this book, Crombie’s last book, The Sound of Broken Glass, and will clearly be a part of the next book: What is behind the transfer of Kincaid from Scotland Yard to his new posting in Camden? Are there malevolent forces behind it? Just how threatening are they? Just as Kincaid is left with many questions, so are we.

That’s just fine. It only makes me that more anxious to read the next mystery in this series.

To Dwell in Darkness doesn’t disappoint. The plot and its resolution will keep you reading into the night.

Deborah Crombie

About the author: Deborah Crombie is a New York Times bestselling author and a native Texan who has lived in both England and Scotland. She lives in McKinney, Texas, sharing a house that is more than a hundred years old with her husband, two cats, and two German Shepherds.

For more about Deborah Crombie, read my interview with her on Just Let Me Finish This Page.

And, finally, one of you will win a copy of To Dwell in Darkness. Just leave a comment on this post and you will be entered. You have until Wednesday evening, when I will pick a winner.

New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page. Stop by!

Happy Monday.

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Putting Out An IKEA SOS

Random Thoughts: Curmudgeon Edition

Book Review: To Dwell in Darkness by Deborah Crombie

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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