In Praise of Duvets

It’s amazing how many of my mother’s words and phrases find their way into my books and blogs.  In this instance the applicable phrase would be: Pride goeth before the fall.

After last week’s Thanksgiving blog about walking, Bill and I were stopped in mid-stride, as it were, struck low by a head and chest cold mess that took us right out of the exercise challenge.  Our trainer came by on Monday, listened to us hacking and sniffling, and said, “You’re in no condition to work out.  Rest and get better. Call me when you are.”  So that’s where we are at the moment, resting and waiting.

In the meantime, I’ve spent more time than usual in bed, wrapped in my down-filled duvet, and remembering exactly how duvets came to be in our lives.  Naturally it’s a long story.  Bill likes to say that with me there’s no such thing as a “short story.”

I suffered from cold feet for most of my life.  In high school my mother would make long flannel nighties for me, and I usually slept with the nightgown wrapped around my cold, cold feet.  When I married Bill, he complained constantly about my perpetually icy feet.  One touch of mine on his was enough to propel him straight out of bed.  That was in 1985.  I often slept with a robe or towel wrapped around the ice cube feet just to give the man a break.

Fast forward several years.  In 1993, we attended a PONCHO auction and bid on one item—30 days use of a BMW in Europe, insurance and mileage included.  All we needed to provide was gas.  It was early in the auction process.  The opening bid was $500.  We bid that.  Since no one else signed up, we walked away with the item.  We scheduled the trip for 1994 but had to cancel it when the pub date of one of my books was moved with no prior notice.  The BMW dealership guy told us, “You’re still good.  When you’re ready to go, let us know.”  A year later, in September of 1995, we finally made the trip.

Since we weren’t exactly swimming in dough at the time, we made the trip on Frequent Flyer Miles and stayed mostly in accommodations available through our membership in Vacations Internationale.  That’s how we ended up in the Alpen Sport Hotel in St. Johann Im Pongau, Austria.  It wasn’t skiing season, so non-skiers were more than welcome.  We stayed for the better part of two weeks where the only English programs on TV were daily updates on Sky News on the exceedingly slow progress of the O.J. Simpson trial.

The king-sized bed in our room was made European fashion by fastening two single beds together, and each bed came with its own individual duvet.  By then I was in the midst of that female midlife crisis—the dreaded M word, menopause.  For me, that meant night sweats.  During those, I would throw off the covers.  Then, when I cooled off, I’d be cold and wrap myself back up again.  The upshot of that was that by morning, Bill usually had no covers at all.  As in zero.

Sleeping in the Alpen Sport Hotel was a revelation.  Bill sleeps with his covers at mid-chest.  I sleep with mine near my chin.  This is what’s known as an “irreconcilable difference.”  In St. Johann Im Pongau all those difficulties went away.  We both wrapped our individual duvets wherever we wanted them—and they stayed there.  If I had a hot flash?  No problem. I flipped the duvet over, cooled off with the cool top next to me, and was already properly covered when the hot flash ended.  It was heaven!  We both slept better than we had for a long time.

We came back to the States, went straightaway to Duxiana, and bought our first twin-sized light-weight duvets.  Which we still use.  Every night.  We’ve purchased replacement covers any number of times, but the duvets themselves are virtually indestructible. When we travel, the duvets go along, if luggage permits, because when you’re sleeping in a strange bed, having a familiar cover helps, especially since Bill still sleeps with his covers on his chest, and I want mine chin-high.

However, one additional thing has changed since then.  Once menopause was over, my feet warmed up—permanently.  So now, when I sleep wrapped in my duvet, the top is at the bottom of my chin, but both of my feet stick out the bottom so they can stay cool.

In other words, this week, when I haven’t been walking, I’ve taken to my bed, and I’m incredibly grateful for our matching duvets. And if some of my readers are dealing with similar M-word symptoms, my twin duvet solution may supply a solution.

Sweet dreams.

13 thoughts on “In Praise of Duvets

  1. My feet are usually cold in bed. I’ve solved the problem by wearing bed sox of heavy wool The ones I have right now are made of yak wool/hair. Nice and warm.
    I knit them last year. Take no time at all because they are tubes with no shaping.

  2. DOES menopause ever end? 11 years and counting…Like you, nights are a continual game of pull the covers up, push the covers off, pull the covers up, push the covers off. NOT good, especially when I have to be awake early to feed animals before I go to sub in Bisbee.
    At any rate, I’ve ALWAYS had cold feet, as well. I usually sleep with a doubled-over quilt over my feet, which helps. If it’s REALLY bad, a good pair of merino wool socks helps.

  3. Amen! My husband and I lived in German for many years, and we still have our German bed and two duvets. Why struggle over blanket parity when you can each have your own? Gute Besserung, J.A..

  4. We split our blankets as newlyweds living in an uninsulated, single board wall cabin in the Adirondacks, which was heated by an utterly inadequate wood stove. There is just no way two people can roll up like burritos, feet all tucked in and ears fully covered in the same set of blankets. Plus he sleeps warm and I am an iceberg. I fully believe that it saved our marriage. Meanwhile, we love your long stories and hope you both feel better very soon.

  5. Wool socks are good, not too warm either. My friend in Canada introduced me to seizure socks which are knit using the ends of yard that are too short to make a whole sock. Putting a wool blanket underneath your body helps too whether it is hot or cold because it helps regulate body tempurature. I doubt I could sleep under a duvet. Cannot wear down jackets either. It is cotton flannel for me, no synthetics. Since I have “knee issues” I sometimes use leg warmers – wool of course.

  6. Hoping you feel better soon. I slept in a heated waterbed for 34 years. When it got a huge leak I decided it was time to give it up. I had forgotten how cold regular beds are. Out came my heating pad to warm the bed but also to warm my very cold feet. I usually sleep with socks on also.

  7. Thank you, I could have used that tip about 10 years ago. Hot pad under my feet helps cold feet. I have also had it all my life.
    I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas Season. Lots of love and hugs.
    Being with family is the most important gift you can have.
    Thank you for all the reading pleasure you have given me..

  8. I’m glad you have no short stories to tell, but sometimes it seems as if I read your books so fast they are gone too quickly.

    • Dawn, I agree with you.

      J.A.J, european fashion? Maybe, but not Swedish 🙂
      As far as I have seen, most couples here have (71 in × 79 in) King size beds.
      I’m single, so I do have 2x (35 in × 79 in) beds.
      Relatives and friends can use these, whenever they visit me.

  9. I love my duvet. The only problem is putting on the cover. What a struggle that is. I dug my old one up and had it cleaned. It came back very fluffy. I always use flannel bedding. I bought a heavy duty flannel cover. It is heavy. I had the pleasure of inserting a fluffy comforter into a heavy cover. I reached for the aspirin and went to bed after that exercise.

  10. I slept with a duvet for years. I preferred to enclose the down comforter in a cotton sheeting duvet cover, and used that as combination top sheet and comforter. In the building where I now live, however, it’s always too hot. I sleep under a sheet plus lightweight fleece blanket, or less. But I miss my duvet.

    I’m not a cold-footed person, however my younger niece I dubbed “Miss Froggy Toes” when she was less than 5 years old, and she still deserves the title. She often wear wool socks.

    I sympathize with you and Bill, surviving the Current Crud. It caught me,too, and my immunity was a bit low so I launched into sinus, throat, and bronchial infections. A trip to the ER, a respiratory inhalation session, a saline drip, and a course of antibiotics added to my 2 weeks of fun and games. I’m so glad you didn’t have to take that path!

    You are just a couple of years ahead of me on the universal time line, and I truly admire your strength to take charge and revise some of your “patterns” to improve your lives. It’s my example: if you can do it, so can I.

  11. Who was the wise person who said, “Where there is life, there is hope.” ? We can always make improvements. Someone else will be happy to eat the chocolate.

Comments are closed.