For a retiree with nothing to do, I’ve been busy. I passed on golf so I could get cracking on the Christmas cookies we send to Dale’s sisters in Maine. It’s quite the process making the dough, rolling it out, cutting the shapes, baking the cookies, making the royal icing, decorating the cookies and then letting the icing dry for a day or two.
I finished them yesterday. The cookies are drying on racks, so that monkey is off my back. Tomorrow, I’ll put them in tins, and Dale will add a few things to the box and get the packages shipped. That’s on him.
Years ago, my sister and I happily agreed to no gifts, and I’d like to spread that around.
This week starts with golf on Monday, golf on Tuesday and golf league party on Wednesday. I haven’t been to the party in a couple of years … well, since Covid. But I thought I’d put my life on the line and hope for the best.
One of the women in my group once said I dressed for golf like I was going on a hike. Not an insult, per se, but my goal is to show up at the party looking like something other than a hiker.
I donated to Joe Biden’s campaign. I hate all the begging that comes after, but I didn’t want to face myself if Trump wins, and I did nothing to help stop it. I do believe our democracy is at stake, so if there’s ever a time to step up, this is it. If I can find some sort of volunteer job with the Democrats that doesn’t involve getting shot at by Republicans, I’ll probably sign up for that, too.
Last week’s household drama was about making the bed. I like a tight bed with hospital corners. I want to slip into bed like a perfectly folded letter slides into a crisp envelope. I sleep with two pillows and sometimes put a quilt over my side of the comforter for extra warmth.
Dale doesn’t believe beds should be made. Why bother?
I believe our differences are rooted in our military experiences. Dale and I met in the Army. He was an officer, and I was enlisted. His training included a place called summer camp, if you can believe that. How lovely for them. Enlisted people go to basic training, which sounds more like it, no?
He may have mastered strategic warfare or whatever, but this much I know. Only one of us learned to make a proper bed.
You, of course, know it’s important to redistribute the bedding. Sometimes, during the night, one person will steer the bedding to his or her side, a practice we call Grand Theft Covies. Another issue is fluffing the comforter so the filling goes back up to the top, where it keeps you warmer.
When making the bed, all that has to be fixed. It doesn’t take long, but you’ve got to commit.
I was kind of cold one night and realized the comforter filling was all down at the bottom. Dale was the last one who made the bed, so I asked him in the morning.
Did you fluff the comforter?
What?
I explained the finer points of comforter fluffing, but even as the words left my lips, I was thinking it was probably a case of too much information. However, he surprised me. Later that afternoon, I heard the delicious plop, plop of the comforter being fluffed! Oh, clever me.
Over dinner that evening, Dale said there was something he needed to say. As the proprietor of D&D Lodging, he regretted to let me know he was charging $1 for comforter fluffing, and an additional dollar because he had to remove the quilt prior to fluffing. So much work. Then he said, “And as you know, I have long waived the fee for the extra pillow.”
So, after all that, we had a great laugh. Of course, there are no fees, but just the same, he planted a seed. Like somehow this is going to cost me. Now when it comes to making the bed, I’ve been racing to get there first.
Maybe he is smarter than me after all.
We resolved this so many years ago and with your experience being in the Army and living in Germany I can’t believe you don’t know the obvious solution. We changed our bed years ago to the European style / German style where each person has their own duvet and duvet cover. A twin size duvet is perfect for each person in a Ca King and in the morning it is folded into thirds and rotated around which makes a very nice looking bed. No top sheet no hospital corners. Also no fights over who’s hot and who’s cold and who stole all the covers. It’s win win.
Well, I learned something new today. I don’t call seeing that in Germany, but it’s genius.
Show me a couple that doesn’t disagree about bedding practices and I’ll write it up as a fairy tale. Nuf said.
Amen!
Indeed. It’s weird we even sleep together at all.
Donna I am continuously surprised by your choice of subject! I am also now feeling more normal (whatever that is!). Keep up the good work! Alan
Hi Alan — normal is overrated! But I’m glad you’re doing better.
The bed wouldn’t get made it left to Himself… let alone the nuances of fluffing! 😀
That said, I never used to make it either. Not till my 50s when a nice looking (and nice feeling) properly made bed started to be a treat I understood and appreciated.
I’m blaming the Army for my dysfunction.
Thank you for not telling me how happy I will feel if I make my bed first thing in the morning. I don’t and I’m really tired of reading articles about happiness that all start with early morning bed making!
I do share your views on the proper way to make it and I’m happy to know I’m not the only one who subscribes to hospital corners. I laughed out loud at ‘Grand Theft Covies’ and shared with my hubby who also giggled. If you haven’t trademarked that, we may have to steal it.
Grand Theft Covies is a serious crime. The more I think about it, the more I like Carole’s suggestion of individual comforters.
1. I completely understand the sharing of the hideous household duties, with a willing partner who does not do them right. My husband and I both hate cooking and all kitchen duties, except eating. We have decided I will do most of the cooking while he does the dishes and clean up. He does the dishes every day or two, but rarely wipes down the counters. It’s like he thinks they are in another room. He never, ever wipes the stove.
My choices are to bitch about it, which I admit I occasionally do, or go behind him and take up the slack. Thirdly, I can just zip my lip, go into another room and hit my head against the wall. Honestly, I vary between these three solutions.
Luckily, he is a wonderful guy who is crazy about me.
2. When Russia invaded the Ukraine, I desperately wanted to get some money to a charity that was taking care of displaced animals. It was nearly impossible to figure out which of the many advertised charities were even legitimate. I finally decided my best bet would be to give to an internationally known pet charity. It has been awhile but I think I chose the SPCA. I was immediately inundated, and I mean INUNDATED, with emails from them, and other pet charities. It went on until I wanted to tear my hair. There was seemingly no way to stop them. Now, it’s down to a small stream by snail mail.
No good deed goes unpunished.
Must be something about countertops. Dale does a great job getting the dishes cycled through the dishwasher, but counter crumbs are invisible to him. I admit to going in behind to finish the job, but it doesn’t bother me anymore. At least the dishes are taken care of.
Ditto to no good deed goes unpunished.
Oh my god, I have laughed so hard at all the comments about the infamous bed making issues. I decided 54 years ago that I would be the one in charge of the bed because I’m particular like you Donna. I don’t mind making it every morning…and yes it does make a good start to my day. The kitchen clean-up is another issue. Hubs is a willing dishwasher but not a willing counter cleaner-upper. His excuse is that his eye site is bad. I follow up behind and corral all the crumbs and clean the grease smudges.
Sounds like we need more research into the countertop issue! I actually pulled everything off the counters the other day and did the big clean.