Feathers

Picture this if you can ..
A king size feather pillow with a little tiny hole in it. The hole isn’t big enough to cause too much worry. Sure feathers sneak out of it from time to time but the pillow case catches them. I knew it needed to be sewn but all my sewing stuff is still in storage so I had put it off till I could get to the unit and get my stuff.
Now this in itself wouldn’t be a story to share but of course this isn’t where the story ends.
Add to the scene a queen size bed and a 24" television that sits on top of our dresser. It was a cool Saturday afternoon and the kids were bored of the toys they received for Christmas already. Dean and I were watching something on TV in the living room that the children were not at all interested in.
As they invariably do every weekend they asked if they could watch TV in our room (are you seeing where this is going yet?) Sure you can just don’t make a mess in our room and stay on top of the duvet. (I hate sand and stuff on my sheets from little feet) So an hour or so passes and the kids started to get goofy. The giggling started with one, then another, and pretty soon all 4 of them were hysterically laughing. Dean and I, so relieved that they were getting along, not fighting, didn’t bother them and just kept to ourselves in the living room. Mistake no.1
Later that night when we got the kids to bed and enjoyed our silence for a couple of hours we decided it was time to go to bed. Dean walked into the bedroom and all I heard was "OH my fucking god. I am going to kill them." Now this is a statement parents of more than one child often mutter, say, scream or chant depending on the situation and this case was no different. I hollered down the hallway, "What’s wrong, babe?" All I heard in response was, "There are feathers everywhere." I questioned a bit more and determined the pillow was not all over the room however the hole in the pillow was beyond repair. I decided that for now we could just use a second pillow case and continue to use the pillow until we could get another one. Mistake no.2
Now I don’t know if the rest of you use a down filled pillow or not but they are not cheap to replace. A good one is in the 30-40 dollar mark with taxes and just after Christmas coming up with a few extra dollars can be tough. We put off buying a new one. The double pillow case worked great until the last little while. It became obvious the pillow would need to be replaced about 2 weeks ago when our youngest boy came down with the flu.
You see Keygan needs his daddy close when he is sick and that in itself is not a problem. Dean just takes to the couch with him and for the next few days Dean fights for those fleeting moments of sleep that Keygan allows him. For some reason the fact that the pillow had a big hole in it really only became a problem once the pillow was moved to the couch. On the bed the pillow seemed to get little or no adjustment so the feathers kept their place. On the couch however the pillow got fluffed and folded and tucked and puffed and flattened and basically beat on.
Dean proceeded to get sick right after Keygan started to feel better so of course the pillow got another week on the couch during the day and the bed at night. By the second week on the couch the kids were pulling feathers from it every chance they got. Dean was being poked every time he lay his head near the thing. Feathers were appearing on the couch, our clothes, the carpet and they were just starting to really take over. It was obvious the pillows 10 year life had come to a dreadful end. It was time to replace the pillow.
We headed to Wal-Mart to buy a new pillow. Found what Dean wanted and of course a few other items we didn’t really need and off we went to pay for the new pillow. We never get out of Wal-Mart for less than $100 and tonight was no different. Home we went.
Tucked the kids into bed and decided we better deal with the old pillow. Dealing with the old pillow wasn’t just throwing it away. You see I have an old down filled comforter that was my grandmothers that is also in need of repair. There is a hole in the corner of it were the old style cording has come loose around the seems. I put this comforter in a bag years ago hoping that one day I would be able to fix it. Deans broken pillow gave me a chance to add some extra stuffing to the quilt so I decided I wanted to keep the down from the pillow and Dean wanted to keep the pillow cases that were now covered in feathers. Mistake no.3
Outside we go. Thank god we had the presence of mind to head outdoors. With a Wal-Mart bag in hand we begin to strip the first pillow case off of the pillow or in reality off the pile of feathers surrounding the pillow casing. The first pillow case was a pretty easy task although we were breathing feathers immediately. I took the case and shook it out over the deck rail and the lawn instantly looked like a macabre chicken plucking had taken place. The second pillow case Dean says to me should I grab a garbage bag? I reply… Nah we don’t need one hon. Mistake no.4
You are still picturing right?
The end of the second pillow case goes into the Wal-Mart bag. We start shaking the feathers into the bag thinking the pillow inside will fall into the bag too. Nope. Shake a little harder. Feathers fly everywhere. I start pulling from the bottom. Dean starts lifting from the top. We are breathing, snorting, and swallowing dead duck feathers. The pillow is too big for the Wal-Mart bag. We do need a garbage bag. As we finally get the pillow kinda sorta into the bag the remaining feathers fall all over the deck. I shake out the inner pillow case in the same manner that I did the first and I am now covered, literally, from head to foot in feathers. I look like I have committed a bird-flu pandemic cull. Dean, laughing his ass off goes in the house to grab a garbage bag. He comes back outside and we get the remaining feathers into the bag. As Dean begins to sweep the deck I go inside head straight for the washer and strip to the basics. When he is done he comes inside and does the same. The two pillow cases go into the wash and that should be end of story right? … no …
I went to take the laundry from the dryer last night to fold it. The lint trap had so many feathers in it that I was almost shocked not to find a plucked duck in the dryer with the clothes. I emptied the trap and ran the dryer again for 30 min for good measure. Took another bunch of feathers from the trap and decided the rest of the feathers would have to be dealt with by hand. Now ya know I just couldn’t do a load of laundry with only 2 shirts, 2 pair of pants, and 2 pillow cases. I had to be economical and do a whole load. Mistake No. 5
Took me almost an hour to pluck our laundry.
Moral of the story… being frugal sometimes costs more than being practical.

I love you RDS

REASONS WHY I LOVE YOU
you text me everyday
you are concerned about me and my well being
you have an amazing voice that turns me on
you are caring and sensitive
the way you whisper I love you
you remember all the important stuff
the way u call me "sweetheart"
you are always there for me when I am having a rough day
you stimulate me
you understand my shortcomings and forgive my mistakes
you call me just cause you miss me
you are not afraid to express what you feel
you always consider my side and what I may want
the way you are ok with sitting in comfortable silence
the way you love to drive "nowhere" with me
you want to grow old with me
you are loyal to me and our relationship
you know me as well as I know myself
we have so much in common
you make me smile and laugh
there is no one else in the world quite like you
you make me feel good about myself
you always tell me and make me feel that I am loved
you are willing to take another chance on love with me
you bring excitement to my life everyday
you bring out the best in me
you can read my heart and mind
every time we fight I learn and discover things about myself and about you
your extreme patience with me
i can be myself when I am with you
when I am grumpy you still love me
you never intimidate me
we can talk for hours and hours
you never give up on us
you have an amazing smile
you never get really mad at me
the best chapter of my life began when we met
you love our children
the way you spoon me
the way you let me sleep in when I can and get up with me when I can’t
you are willing to share your past with me
you are supportive of me
you bring me up when I am down
we share our dreams for the same things
you are an incredible father
you complete me
you are my everything
you are my SOULMATE
Happy Valentine's Day Sweetheart