The lighter side of life – staying in touch with friends and family by celebrating the ordinary.
A pool for Emily’s girls
When Emily and her family were visiting back in April, she noticed a huge above-ground pool on sale online for half price. It would be perfect for summer!
Immediately after she ordered it, it sold out. Would she get one? Orders aren’t guaranteed anymore, not since the pandemic. Unfulfilled online orders sit in limbo with companies reluctant to allow cancellations for delays.
After a day or two, Emily was sent a shipping date. A good sign, but still no guarantee. She didn’t tell the girls she had ordered a pool, so they wouldn’t be disappointed if it never arrived.
I had a clothes dryer that just kept getting a new shipping date – exactly one month out from the previous shipping date. It was, it turned out, a completely imaginary shipping date. I eventually had to be very firm with a customer service agent in order to get it canceled, so I could buy a slightly different model from a different supplier.
Emily’s shipping date became a tracking number – an excellent sign! And one day, she had an entire swimming pool delivered right to her house.
Here it is being installed. That is an enormous pool.
Yay summertime! Just in time for the older two girls’ birthdays.
Luckily for me, I think they’ll still come visit us again in April, because April won’t be pool season in Boston!
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