Make your bed and sleep well

I made my bed this morning. Most mornings I do…eventually, but not usually as soon as I get up.  Coffee first.  And I often have this temptation (DW calls it a hallucination) of jumping back in bed and spending the morning just napping, but that’s not ever happened.  So I make the bed.
Occasionally if I must get up and get out the door early or have a long to-do list I might not get the bed made.  That’s prioritizing.   But for sure I will get it made before I go to bed, even if it’s right before I get back in it.  There’s just something about a nicely made up bed with sheets taunt, covers straight, pillows fluffed, and bedspread turned back.  Makes me sleepy just thinking about it.
Beds aren’t made the same today as we boomers learned how.  A friend’s son-in-law asked her daughter “what was up with the beds,” after she had spent the day babysitting for them. Grand mom had made all the beds, her way. You know, with the bedspread neatly tucked under the pillows. Seems the current generation just fluffs out the top coverlet and calls it made.  I don’t guess dorm moms even bother to check for made-up beds anymore either.  Too bad.
There once was a time when I loaded the bed with throw pillows.  Not so much anymore, guess I grew tired of putting them back every morning.  DW didn’t see the point anyway.  But, I do enjoy having a favorite old quilt folded at the foot of the bed just to add a little color to the white summer coverlet, but really it’s there mostly for sentimental reasons. DW fails to see the point, again, the quilt is just something else to move off the bed.
But for sure I will make my beds with crisp white cotton sheets. I’m not a fan of shiny, satin-y, rather slick sheets, regardless of how soft or how high the thread count.  Besides, the top cover always wants to slide off onto the floor!   Sleeping between nicely starched and ironed percale sheets that smelled of sunshine is a sweet memory. They were fresh, felt good, and slept so well.  Now, though, I don’t starch and iron sheets, but I will confess to ironing pillowcases.  My grandmother’s embroidered pillow slips weren’t perma-pressed and always needed starching and ironing.  Even though I don’t use them anymore (they’re so fragile) I continue to iron pillowcases.  Neatness counts, even for family.
White sheets wash so well too.  Hot water, a little bleach, and just a drop of fabric softener added to the wash keep them crisp, clean, fresh, and white, just like I like them.  And, with white sheets there’s no worry of fading due to frequent washing. It’d be nice to sleep on clean sheets every night, but that’s not so practical, so I settle for once a week, every Monday. I get my guest beds remade, too, after weekend company and ready for the next visit.  It’s a chore I rather enjoy.  Like hanging out a welcome sign.
My mother’s rule of thumb was to have 3 sets of sheets: one set on the bed, one in the clothes hamper, and the third set clean and ready to go.  And when those cotton sheets start to wear thin, you can turn them into great dusting cloths!