Sometimes friends come into your life for a season, and then, just as soon as they came, they’re gone again. Such was the case with Bessie.

Bessie, of course, is the cowhide rug I bought recently for our office. She came to us (via an ebay auction) because she needed a home and a family, and we needed something to visually separate the dark wood desk from the dark wood floor.

Sure, we had other options, like this ikat rug I stole one time.

But the longer I looked at it, the more wrong the ikat rug felt in the office. (I’ll use it in Weston’s room, eventually.)

Plus there was the Giant Rug Dilemma: how far under the desk do we place the rug? We couldn’t put it completely under the desk because the edge of the rug would always be in the way of the computer chair. We could leave the desk completely off the rug, but then it didn’t serve the purpose. Or we could stick it halfway under, like in the photo above, but it wasn’t ideal.

We needed help. We needed Bessie.

Her natural curves meant she could sit completely under the desk, but we could still slide the computer chair under it too.

But while Bessie was an improvement, she still didn’t feel quite right. See, Bessie was large by all real cowhide standards, but she still felt small in that room. We could layer her over a large natural fiber rug, but then we’d still have the problem of the edge of the rug under the computer chair.

She had other issues too. Andy immediately got creeped out by the way she felt underfoot. I just found this photo of him lording over her disapprovingly.

Not really. Mostly he was just sitting there.
Also, she attracted pests. The moment we laid her down on the floor, we began suffering from an infestation of small children in superman pajamas.

(Every time we flicked on the light switch in that room, toddlers would scatter.)

We loved Bessie’s natural coloring, her shape, her kid-friendliness, but it was clear that we had to help her move on to another family who could love her the way she needed to be loved, give her the attention and devotion she deserved. Craigslist was the answer. (And I made $5 on the whole transaction!)

…And just as soon as she came into our life, Bessie had moved on again.

But we weren’t ready to give up on the rug issue yet. I took to the computer and set out on a new search. These faux cowhides were much larger and promised to solve Andy’s creeped-out feelings and the size issue all in one go. They were slightly more expensive, but I used a coupon code to drop the price. Plus I loved them so much knIew I could happily reuse them in any room.

Meet Bessie’s replacement.

Her vast size makes Bessie feel positively petite, a rare feeling for an actual cow.

Admittedly, right now the room feels very rug-heavy.

But I think once we add some art, chairs and accessories, the new rug will fade into the background a little more. (I don’t know what furniture or art I’ll find yet, but here’s a little mockup.)

For now, I think Bessie’s replacement can consider the office its permanent home. We’ll think fondly on Bessie, but it’s like they say…

when you love something, you have to let it go.

Have you ever made a large online purchase that didn’t work out? Any ideas for treating toddler infestations? (The ones in the superman pajamas are the toughest to treat.)