Grandma's Feather Bed

"The best darn thing about Grandma's house was her great big feather bed. We didn't get much sleep but we had a lot of fun on Grandma's feather bed." John Denver

One of our presents to ourselves arrived yesterday just in time for the start of winter. I had been thinking of getting a down comforter for several years but put off purchasing one because of the cost. This year when the weather turned cold and I added another blanket, it seemed like I was achier upon arising. Could it be the weight of the covers? Then Kohls made me an offer I couldn't refuse - they marked their comforters half off then gave me a 30% off coupon and free shipping. (Plus $20 Kohl's Cash on a future purchase.) Other than the times we have stayed at hotels, I hadn't slept on or under a feather bed since childhood. Ah-h-h-h.

The old farmhouse I grew up in did not have central heat until after I was grown and gone. Even then, only the downstairs rooms had heat ducts run to them. The two upstairs bedrooms still had their original registers; their only heat what rose up the stairway and through the small grills in the floors.

As a kid, you wanted the west room in the winter and the east room in the summer. The west room register was directly above the old oil burner stove. We would leave the warmth of bed and sprint over to stand on the register to dress for school. In summer the west room was stifling from the heat of the sun and no breeze. The east room was shaded plus had windows on the south and east sides.

The feather beds came out after fall cleaning was done. They went on top of the mattress. We slept in the feather ticks rather than having them over us. Over us we had umpteen blankets. Those old farmhouses weren't insulated and the windows didn't fit very tight. You could actually feel cold drafts wafting through.

I don't remember when nor why we quit using the feather beds. I believe the last of them was used to make pillows. I might complain about the heating bills in winter and the cooling bills in summer, but I am grateful for central heat and air conditioning. And after only one night, I already love the lightness and warmth of our new down comforter.