The Bark-O-Lounger King

It's been just over a week, but Ripley the Beagle has taken over. He's at least taken over my one room in the house where I've condensed as much of my prior "offices" into a space engineered to hold memories and current files. One of the few pieces I was able to keep from my much larger "man cave" in Missouri was this recliner, which back in the day was known by many as a Barcalounger (a brand name which, like Xerox, became synonymous with the product). There's a small inset picture of that original product in this blog entry.

Ripley has taken over my office. When I moved full time to Florida, I brought with me a desk, a credenza, and a matching bookcase. I also brought a corduroy couch which was a full sized hide-a-bed, and various other pieces of furniture. It became very clear, even before the truck came to pick up stuff in Missouri, that in the new space there would not be room for all of this stuff. That desk had been with me for years, and was a really nice (heavy) piece of furniture. In the planning of the new "office" which began life as a breakfast room, but was redesigned by my wife and our contractor, I showed Jason (the contractor) a picture of the desk - which he said he might be able to use in his expanding business. So, while I now have only the original credenza and matching bookcase, at least the desk found a good home in nearby Sarasota. I gave Jason first right of refusal to re-assemble the suite once they carted my old bones off to the retirement center.

So now I have the credenza, bookcase, television stand (and TV), computer, printer, recliner, and couch/hide-a-bed. Ripley has been exploring every nook and cranny of his new home, and looking for places to hide his chew toys. So far, he's managed to find at least three places in my office, one in the cushions of the couch. I cannot sit down without Ripley jumping into my lap, and wanting a belly rub. He is very spoiled, and wants to help me do everything, including write this blog.

It was a small office to start with, and now this small dog has decided it's his to share with me. Funny how, no matter how small a space may be, there is always room to fill it up with love. And Ripley has moved in, and been crowned King of the Bark-O-Lounger.