The benefits of a good bed are profound.And new to us... We've slept on a number of goofy mattresses in the past. For example, a 'Super Single' that was like being on a raft. And in strange spots, such as underneath a work table next to a 2x4 we came to affectionately nick-name '2bie' - as in 'Who's turn is it to sleep next to...' and currently - 'We made it through '2bie' we can do this! (make it through a difficult time)... Then we bought a bigger mattress from a chef, but maybe it was too soft? Then a futon, decadent in purchase price and craftsmanship, but which in practice, came to feel like laying down on smooth rock.
(putting our quilt from Neil's grandma on the nifty new bed for the first time, two months ago when we moved in, The Puff supervises and approves).
As we were loading up our possessions for the final 2nd leg of the move to Oregon in March (no bed) and Neil was convincing me we should use the 'bed'room as that and not as a workshop space (which is what i generally want every room to be.. i'm learning) I knew we needed a real mattress. It was painful after the expense of moving, but we had momentum. And a moving truck. And a lot of physical work on our horizon. We took our Penske truck into Hillsboro before we returned it. We went to Sleep Country in our overalls and farm boots. A very nice salesman worked out an excellent deal to sell us a very comfortable, full size floor model for what came out to be a bit less than half the retail price. Yay! He also gave us a new, perfectly simple bed frame.
He was awesome. He subscribes to Mother Earth News, would love more Oregon specific heirloom vegetables and told us he could give us a lot of free plastic in the future if we can use it, because they don't have a good way to recycle the plastic they move mattresses in. We've picked up some already and used it to shelter our hardening off area. We hope to get more and try to stitch big pieces together for a hoop house and row tunnels.So, since this sleeping need is inevitable.. every night.. it is nice to finally have a good spot to recharge our mind + body batteries and for our muscles to recuperate. Maybe most people have figured this out, but if you haven't, buy the most comfortable mattress you can afford.
Here is a link for Radio Lab's great recent show about Sleep !
It is fascinating that we sleep so soundly for a third of each day. Not just half our brain, not with one eye open. Not laying in opposite directions, foot to head, to see a possible predator first. And then there are those wild dreams.
We heard a man on the radio talking about how cheese may affect dreaming. Okay I had to go find it, here is the link to a short audio clip on a study by the British Cheese Board on how Eating Cheese Can Alter Your DreamsMmm, fresh home-made goat cheese + sweet dreams : )
