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Some were gnomeless and some were homeless
Friday, February 19, 2021 at 01:44PM 
Who can resist gnomes bearing sparkly valentines?
It was about time.
Having not hitherto jumped onto the gnomes-as-decorations bandwagon in any fashion, the pirate is now the proud but bewildered owner of two valentine gnomes.
Allow me to elaborate.
On the shelf ledge in our dining area, I put seasonal additions around the big clock. They're more likely to be noticed there.
(The ledge itself is relatively new and I will tell you more about it in my next post.)
For Memorial Day and the patriotic summer holidays, I put some cute red-white-and-blue jars up there.
In the fall, there were pumpkins.
At Christmastime, there were appropriate additions to the ledge.
When wintertime rolled around in earnest, I sort of bided my time until February.
I focused more on my two-tier tray for seasonal visual interest on the long table.
However.
Every time a bell rings, a gnome gets a pink plush heart.
Two adorable valentine gnomes had been purchased on Amazon in mid-January.
I had every reason to anticipate that they would come, and that they'd be so cute on the ledge, presiding over our many February parties and get-togethers.
Only, the gnomes did not come.
And they didn't come and they didn't come and they didn't come.
The Amazon seller, who claimed to have shipped the product four days after purchase, had provided a tracking number pertaining to the shipper they'd purportedly used.
Only, when I copied and pasted said number into said shipper's tracking field, the shipper claimed to have never heard of that number.
The tracking number was meaningless. No gnomes stood behind it, waiting to be delivered to my doorstep.
Also meaningless was the date given for the estimated delivery of the gnomes, when I checked it (repeatedly) on Amazon.
As in, that date kept changing.
I began to be convinced that the gnomes were great big valentine no-shows.
I think I like it up here. Any chance for a renewal into March?
(And no; they did not originate their journey in China. Rather, New Jersey.)
Finally, I'd had enough.
I contacted the seller.
Declining to make nice, I typed words to this effect: Why did you say you shipped the gnomes a few days after I ordered them, when clearly you didn't? Bad tracking number. No gnomes. Too late. I want my money back.
At first I was ignored.
But I persisted, writing yet again that I wanted a refund as Valentine's Day had come and gone and I remained gnomeless and they were about to become irrelevant.
At least for this year.
Because Amazon had informed me, about a week ago, that the gnomes had been lost in transit and weren't coming.
I was given a full refund.
And I promptly forgot about the whole thing.
It was high time we landed on this here ledge.
Until two days ago when I went to the mailbox at the end of our driveway -- the one with our house number on it -- and discovered a medium-sized squishy package inside.
What could this be? I wondered aloud.
Well slap me and call me Sally! It was the gnomes.
They'd been shipped maybe three days before arriving at my house, using the United States Postal Service and not Delta Hotel Lima, the previous supposed shipper.
Which means, they were shipped at least three weeks later than when the shipper said they had shipped.
Confused but -- not gonna lie -- pleased, I plumped my gnomes out and plopped them up on the shelf, shoving a few things aside to make room.
Now I'm not sure how to go about paying for the gnomes, having been told they were not coming after all, and having pocketed a refund.
If you have any ideas on that score, please do share.
Meanwhile the gnomes are cute and we do after all have another February get-together at my house tomorrow, over which they may preside.
And won't it be fun to haul them out next year, and up onto the shelf ledge in the dining room?
In two twenty-two they will take their rightful place on the ledge once more.
As promised I will tell you all about the ledge and how it came to be, early next week.
Until then, have a wonderful weekend with your loved ones and pets and friends.
We certainly plan to, what with Little Andrew's birthday party in Charlotte tonight, and Henry coming tomorrow to stay the night and go to church with us on Sunday.
My dance card is full and my social calendar weighs more than those soft little gnomes.
And that is all for now.
=0=0=0=
Happy Friday :: Happy Weekend
Reader Comments (15)
What a happy ending! I had the same thing happen with an order on Amazon. It never came. After contacting Amazon and the vendor, they gave me a refund and I ordered another one. Then after months, it came! So now I had two. By now I was so tired of dealing with it that I just kept them both and did nothing.
P.S. The gnomes are adorable! I'm hoping to get some just as cute for Easter.
@Ginny ... I thought of you, knowing as I do that you are partial to gnomes. I understand your quandary re: ordering, not getting, asking for a refund, obtaining said refund, reordering, then receiving two. It's frustrating. Order your Easter gnomes immediately. xoxo
I love gnomes, but don't have any! I think I better start looking for some. But, maybe not on Amazon. What a crazy thing. I think you get them for free. After all, you did pay and they messed up!
@Mari ... I like your way of thinking! Haaahaha xoxo
Awwwwwww, they are soooooo cute! I love gnomes!!!! And Valentine ones are a lovely new way to "picture" them. ("Picture" is not the proper word there, and I can't _think_ of what the proper word is...... Bahhhh humbug! -sigh-)
We have had quite good luck with Amazon. It is much toooooo easy, to type and click and wait for it to arrive on our doorstep. -sigh- I don't really want to contribute to Jeff Bezos. ~~~~ I know you don't allow links here. But if one goes to duckduckgo search engine, and types in Jeff Bezos liberal views, after some Yahoo and etc. crap, one can find information.
Why do I get sidetracked like that????????? Hand~slap~to~forehead!
Enjoy your weekend, as I am sure you are.
Gentle hugs...
@Mari-Nanci ... girl you are talking to the Amazon Queen ... I KNOW far too well how easy it is to type and click and wait, haaahahahaaaa! TG sometimes despairs. And I'm not going to die on the hill of Jeff Bezos. It is what it is. xoxo
I never really got into gnomes myself but maybe some day I'll see one that will change my mind! It is a quandary about how/if you should pay the seller for them, though. I'm thinking if they lied to you about the shipping then you should forget paying them. Bad business practices, Did the refund come from the seller or from Amazon?
@Jeanette ... I'm not entirely sure but I think it came from Amazon. I'll wait and see what happens but if they don't ask for the money, I won't offer it! I hope someday you do see a gnome that you are compelled to take home, hahahahaha xoxo
Goodness, what a story. I am happy they are in a loving home and no longer squished in a mailbox.. or still traveling about in a delivery vehicle.
@Carla ... I know, right? Haaahahaha xoxo
I have only ever had one problem with an item ordered on Prime (which must be sent ground to my door). The only reason I even have Prime is to get home delivery. Breckenridge (as you well know,Jenny) does NOT have home delivery for mail or packages. To get our mail we must go to the post office. The time I had a problem, the seller sent the package USPS and since I never include my box #, it was sent back. I contacted them, they didn't want to send it ground, and they refunded my money. In this instance, I think the ball is in the seller's corner. The gnomes are yours free until you hear otherwise.
@Barb ... Yay! I like your way of thinking too. It is a testament to how well-organized Amazon is that when this happened to me, I was truly flummoxed. It usually goes like clockwork. Yes you do have an odd situation where you live, but my problem with your address is I never seem to use the right one, hahahahaha! Luckily your children know where you live. Arrrgghggghhhh! xoxo
Well Jenny I am SO GLAD your gnomes FINALLY ARRIVED!! Dang, quite the process. I love your ledge, and I WANT ONE!! or two or three! I just love those, Framed pictures and knick-knacks such as gnomes, LOL!!--can be on those, How was the birthday party?--Hope everyone arrived safely and enjoyed family time together and I do hope you made lots and lots of PICTURES FOR US!? Was there CAKE??? HA HA HA lol!! Hope your weekend is going nicely, it's SO WARM AND SUNNY AND BEAUTIFUL here today, isn't it??? Sure have enjoyed it and Mr. Front Porch is still out digging in the garden, and has planted some things. Hugs, my friend!!
@Debbi ... Girl you know it! The more ledges and shelves, the more stuff I'll cram onto them. The gnomes have been put away and I've decorated for March ... isn't this exciting? In the eighties today! I can't wait. I'm going to wear a hat to church. Yes there was cake and I'll tell you all about the birthday party tomorrow! Hope your weekend is going beautifully too. xoxo