SHE MADE HER BED
Bed: realm of creation and communion, rest and dreams, remembrance and forgetfulness.—Laura Wood, ‘A Domestic Dictionary’
As an intermittent insomniac, I have a special appreciation for that piece of furniture called the bed, and its offer of {sometimes illusive} restfulness. As an intermittent insomniac, I have a not-so-special sensitivity to this and other elements of the sleeping environment.
Keeping work out of the bedroom, sipping warm tea, breathing lavender, and listening to Bedtime Beats do their part to disentangle the frayed edges of day. But even these vespertine rituals cannot hold a candle {nor can a candle hold a candle} to the ritual of turning back smoothly-made sheets.
Does anyone else have a problem falling asleep in a bed without mitered corners? I suspect that's my own brand of craziness.
Hazel is reading the autobiography of Margaret Thatcher, and described to me Thatcher's supernatural ability to thrive on four hours of sleep. This is why I am not the British Prime Minister. As with most people, I will likely spend a third of my life in bed—zonked out, if I'm lucky, and not making history. So it seems to me the bed is worth paying as much attention to as any waking environment, and will probably affect one's ability to function well in a waking environment. {Last week would be a testament to the opposite effect.}
The importance of making the bed is historically confirmed in that old adage {darkly spoken}: 'She made her bed, and now she can lie in it.' I used to find it odd that lying in bed would come after making it; but, as it turns out, making the bed at the beginning of the day may influence how comfortably one will be lying in it at the end.
I cannot promise that mitered corners are the key to someone else's insomnia, but maybe you'll think them as beautiful as I do.
{BEDDING}
For ordinary home use, Cheryl Mendelson prefers ‘resin-free all-combed cotton percale with a thread count of 250 to 250.’ She recommends stocking the following for each bed, with an additional guest set, if desired.
3 sheets, top and bottom
3 sets of pillow cases
2 pillow covers
2 pillow under-covers
2 mattress pads
2 mattress covers
A mattress and pillow are practically essential, of course; and you may like to have a blanket for added warmth and perhaps a decorative day cover and pillows. For further recommendations regarding mattresses, pillows and bed linens, I can do no better than urge you to acquire your own copy of Mendelson’s housekeeping tome, Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House.
See my post ‘Good Clean Air’ for guidelines concerning bedroom laundering.
{MAKING THE BED}
Cheryl Mendelson writes, ‘A friend of mine remembers being counseled by her elderly aunt long ago that even if she found herself in poverty or sickness she should always make a good bed for herself.’
My own preference is for the mitered, or ‘hospital,’ corners Mendelson describes in her book. They are easy to make, as you can see by the diagram below, and they look neat and elegant.
{SCENTED WATER FOR PILLOWS}
You can scent the pillow with orange blossom or lime blossom water, bergamot or orange flower essence.
8 fl. oz. orange blossom water
3 fl. oz. 70-proof alcohol
10 d. bergamont essence
5 d. mandarin essence
5 d. ylang-ylang essence
3 d. jasmine essence
3 d. sandalwood essence
Blend and filter all ingredients. Dispense into a dark glass bottle with a spray. Label clearly, and store in a dark, cool place. Spray on pillows and bed linens to impart a delicate tropical-floral scent.
I have forgotten the title of the French house-keeping book from which I jotted this recipe. {The initial cost of the essential oils may be quite expensive, but consider that a little half-ounce bottle of essential oil yields almost 300 drops.}
• This is not my bed, because posting a picture of my bed would be creepy. So here is a picture of someone else’s bed {not creepy at all, right?}, and it seems they got the memo from Carl Larsson to keep it away from the walls. I could not sleep like that. I need to be close to one wall—but one wall, not two. •
August 5, 2014