Monday, April 30, 2018

A to Z April Challenge: Z is for ZZZZZZZ


When my sister and I cleaned out our parents’ home, we had to make many decisions about what to do with all the stuff. Which things are truly “valuable” and which have only sentiment in their favor? Should we sell it, keep it, or throw it away? To help ensure a future for our family’s heirlooms, I plan to leave a booklet for my daughters telling the stories of what they will inherit one day. (Not TOO soon, I hope!) With this challenge I begin my book of Heirlooms.


is for the ZZZZZZZ we enjoy when sleeping in high back oak beds inherited from my grand aunt Violetta Davis Ryan. I do not recall ever seeing them in her home, but I do recall her saying she had old beds in a shed behind one of her apartment buildings. Something about former tenants leaving them behind, maybe? Or maybe they had been in her family? I really don’t know.

I only know that my mother was the next owner. She used the beds in her guest rooms. Now I have them. After my girls moved out, the beds moved in to make pretty little guest rooms.

High back oak bed https://jollettetc.blogspot.com

However, like most antique beds, they are full size (also known as a double bed). I know of no married couple that owns a full bed anymore. Queens and kings are what modern couples are used to. That is why I bought a new queen bed for one guest room. The other rooms with the high back oak beds are fine for children.

High back oak bed https://jollettetc.blogspot.com


Jordan and rope bed https://jollettetc.blogspot.com
Whew - that room was a mess!
I do not know what memory I was trying to capture here.

In addition to these two beds, we have another high back and a cannon ball rope bed in the attic. The ¾ rope bed was my daughter’s “big girl bed” after she graduated out of her crib to make room for her baby sister. The bar at the foot end rolled so that people could roll their blankets and quilts onto it.

The bed frame has knobs around which ropes originally were tied to support a mattress. People routinely tightened the ropes for better support. The expression “Sleep tight” comes from these beds. Of course, we didn’t use ropes – we attached metal braces to hold the box spring and mattress which we had cut down from a full to ¾. When she was little, we used a safety rail since that mattress was pretty high off the floor.

*    *    *    *    *    *

OK, I have completed the challenge. Now give me that A-to-Z Survivor Badge. It’s time to catch some zzzzzzzzzs.

Wendy
© 2018, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved

28 comments:

  1. Nice beds! The headboards are sure high.
    Our bed, in that ash set I told you about, was a full size and we often had the four kids in bed with us by morning!!

    Congrats on blogging A to Z!! Good job, and so interesting!

    My A to Z Genealogy Challenges

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Morning snuggles are great but whew that's a lot of loving in a double bed!

      Delete
    2. Those were the best of times! Now we have a queen, even in the RV!
      You know how people recreate old photos - imagine recreating one of us all in the bed, the girls are all in the 40's now hahaha!
      Wendy I'm glad you twisted my arm... Thanks for following!

      Delete
    3. Oh those recreations are hilarious. You should do it!

      Delete
  2. Love the headboard. Well done for completing the challenge! Your posts have been interesting and well written. They've been great to read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh you're so kind. Thanks for hanging with me which makes me wonder why YOU haven't been A-Z-ing it lately.

      Delete
  3. Congratulations on completing your alphabet challenge. I enjoyed every post and will miss them! Take a well-deserved break!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw Carol, thank-you. I appreciate your support.

      Delete
  4. It was a happy day for us when we traded in our double bed for a queen size several years ago. So much space! I enjoyed reading about your antiques this month and congrats on your choice for Z.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We made the switch about 40 years ago. Now a double feels more like a twin to me.

      Delete
  5. We had a full bed when we were first married; good thing we were crazy in love since it was a tight fit, LOL. Now the queen is very comfortable and the kings, when in a hotel, seem just a bit too spacious. I do like your beds you featured here :)

    Very well done to finish A/Z! Get your well deserved rest!

    betty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same here - but I LOVE a king bed except it is harder to punch the hubster when his snoring gets TOO annoying.

      Delete
  6. Love the beds! We have two full sized guest beds and you're right, they only work for one person or kids. Now go get some ZZZZ!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I guess the double bed is good for making sure guests don't stay too long. HA HA

      Delete
  7. You made it!! Congratulations...

    My brother and his wife had a GORGEOUS antique bed in their guest room. My late husband and my current husband and I have spent many an uncomfortable night in them. Wonder how our parents/grandparents/etc did it...LOL

    Donna B. McNicol|Author and Traveler
    A to Z Flash Fiction Stories | A to Z of Goldendoodles

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Really - I guess if people didn't have central heat, a double bed made it easy to huddle up and stay warm. HA. Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  8. Congratulations for completing the A to Z and for documenting your heirlooms. I am sure the objects will be much more appreciated now you have shared the stories.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good job! I enjoyed reading your A-Z posts and thinking about our little family "treasures." You have some lovely ones!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I come from a sentimental family, so I too think I inherited some lovely pieces.

      Delete
  10. You really do have a full alphabet of family heirlooms! Good use of Z, no favorite stuffed Zebra? LOL I've loved (and been jealous) of all your beautiful heirlooms.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you want a story of a stuffed Zebra, you have to talk to my daughter Zoe. Seriously - she had one as a kid. It even got a wrist ID tag when she took it to the hospital with her to get her tonsils out.

      Delete
  11. Oh I love the headboards! When Rick and I got married, we inherited a full bed and like you, then moved to a queen and finally are in a king. As you said, the king makes it much harder to let someone know they are snoring, although thankfully they are snoring from a little further away. The quilts on the beds are beautiful as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. See - it's a natural progression we go through in life: crib, twin, double, queen, king!

      Delete
  12. Well done Wendy on completing the A-Z again. I've enjoyed your posts and learned a lot about household heirlooms that I would not have considered before.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And I learned a lot about the geography of England.

      Delete
  13. Wendy, a belated comment to,say how much I have enjoyed your A-Z posts, and I admired your imaginative choice of topic. Probably my favourite post was the one on Quilts - they have always fascinated me and I have my mother to thank for introducing me to patchwork and making the hand stitched hexagons into,cushion covers, throws etc. Congratulations on finishing the marathon challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love how the antique "sleep tight" type bed was modernized without losing its charm! What wonderful places to catch a few Zzzzs!

    ReplyDelete