Uncategorized

A Warm Bed

48 Comments

Today’s post comes from Bart, the bear who found a smart phone in the woods.

Bart Blackberry2

Hey,

Bart here. Just having an awake moment during my hibernation and thought I’d check to see if anybody texted me. Nobody did! Is it because you know I’ve already settled down for my long winters’ nap, or is it because we’re not really friends anymore?

Just wonderin’. That’s the sort of question that can keep you awake for hours when you know you’re supposed to be sleeping. Lucky I have lots of weeks left before it’s time to get up.

Ever just lie there awake in the middle of the night when it’s super cold out? That’s when it’s great to have a really solid den, which I’ve got this year. It’s in a gully with a fresh fallen tree on the one side and a kind of a hill on the other side, so we’re out of the wind and there’s lots of leaves and stuff. Really nice for hunkerin’ down.

Only thing missing is snow. I mean, LOTS of snow.

Snow is an insulator, but most people just think of it as super cold stuff. It’s not! There’s lots of stuff that’s colder than snow. Tonight, it’s the air and everything it touches.

Anyway, I’ve got that really happy feeling you get when you’ve got all your leaves and pine needles packed around you to make a nice cozy bed and your hair is dry and you’ve had something to eat but the place isn’t a mess it’s just warm and it smells like bears and you know you don’t have to go out!

I’ve got a few more months of torpor ahead of me so I think I’m going to nod off again. But if you’re about to send me a text, don’t stop just ’cause I’ll be sleeping. I have a bunch of these random half-awake times, and I need something to read.

Or ask me a question, even if it’s that one that everybody asks about hibernation and whether or not we have to go to the bathroom and if so how do we do it? But I’ll tell you right now, the answer is awesome, and it won’t make you feel any better about your situation.

Not only is hibernation the huge nap you want but will never have, it’s also more slimming than all the exercise you could possibly do in five months – and I sleep through it all!

I love being a bear!
Bart

How long could you stay in bed, if there was no reason to get out?

48 thoughts on “A Warm Bed”

  1. Good morning. As usual, I am up early, not like some of you. I can’t remember the last time I just stayed in bed and didn’t get up early. I like getting up early. However, I think it would be fun to just stay in bed and not get up. I wouldn’t do that very often because I think early morning is a nice time of day. It would nice to have a change of pace and remain up late into the night, then stay in bed late into the following day. I would have to put aside my concerns about getting all the stuff done that I think I should be doing. I doubt that I could stay in bed very far into the afternoon even if I decided to that take break from my usual early rising pattern.

    Like

    Reply

  2. I’m taking a sick day, so any minute now I will be crawling back into my bed, hoping for a nice, long rest.
    The longest I’ve stayed in bed (that I can remember) was 12 hours. I had stayed up late the night before and slept in until 2 in the afternoon. I usually only sleep that much when I’m sick. Nobody woke me up so I woke up naturally. I haven’t had that much sleep in years though. Maybe today…

    Like

    Reply

      2. I’m usually up once in the middle of the night so I could also answer the question at 2:01. Also I am usually awake by or before 5:35 and could answer the question at that time. However, I am only up for a short time in the middle of the night and usually get right back to sleep. In the morning I try to lay in bed for awhile and do not get up right away because I can sometimes snooze a little more before I am wide awake. I am usually out of bed before 6:00 to get a start on my morning chores and often find time to post on this blog at about 6:30.

        Like

        Reply

        1. I watched Azarenka pull a cheat to win in two quick sets, quick except for an improperly long “medical” time out which she admitted was a cheat and then Djokovic blew away Ferrer. Been a rather lousy tournament.

          Like

  4. I’m trying to find an answer to this question that won’t get me in trouble. At my age, time in bed is almost too boring to stand, and I can’t sleep more than about three hours at a time. So if you are talking about being in bed alone, it is something I dread. If I were to have company, however, my answer changes entirely. Then I don’t know how long I could happily stay in bed–age becomes an issue again–although this is an experiment I’d love to run.

    Like

    Reply

  5. Well Bart, this all depends.

    Do I have a LARGE stack of books beside my bed (an old iron bedstead that would allow at least 3 feet of reading material and still not clear the top of the mattress)?

    Is my LARGE basket of yarn, needles and patterns withing reach? How about the old vanity case that belonged to my grandmother, that now contains all the pieces, notions and tools for a full-size, tedious applique quilt top?

    Is my radio close at hand?

    Is there a way to provide myself with a continuous supply of hot tea without me getting up myself?

    In the event that all of the above are satisfied, I think I could stay happily abed until it is time to check the outdoors for signs of spring, just like you. Not even sure I would need a cell phone:).

    Like

    Reply

    1. I’m surprised you don’t mention food, specifically sweets. Reading this blog makes me think most female baboons could cheerfully spend days in a broom closet if there were enough sweet treats to keep them going.

      Like

      Reply

        1. yes, I think a switch over to wine at some point would be a good idea, but Steve, if I am not getting out of bed, the last thing I need or want is a pile of sweets (or in the case of my personal weakness, salty, buttery, savory goodness). Like Bart, I hope to emerge in the spring as the svelte version of myself I was intended to be!

          Can’t speak for most female Baboons, but after 3 exquisite chocolate truffles, I’ve really had more than enough.

          Like

        2. Frankly, a few bars of good dark chocolate, a couple bottles of red wine and a pile of cheese and I could stay anywhere for days. Wouldn’t need to be a lot of chocolate if it was high-quality and very dark (90% would do nicely).

          Like

  6. Last weekend husband was in Denver and daughter was in Grand Forks at a music festival, so it was just me and the dog and cats. I went to bed early and slept late and really surprised myself at how much i slept and vegetated. The dog was in heaven as she is a real snuggler, and curled up with me whenever I was sleeping or resting on the couch. It

    Like

    Reply

  7. On a cold day like today, snuggled under my soft flannel sheets, I could stay in bed asleep most of the morning. If Daughter snuggled in with me, add another hour or so. If she and I had books (as some have mentioned) and something to nibble on, we could be there all day…except eventually the dog would need to go out and if Husband isn’t home to assist, one of us would have to crawl out. Darn it.

    Like

    Reply

  8. I’m a night owl who’s been half-transformed into a lark by financial necessity. I seem to always be tired. If circumstances allowed, I bet I could stay in bed all weekend. Sounds nice…

    Like

    Reply

  9. I have times when I sleep well, and times I don’t. I’m in a pretty good pattern right now. I wake up sometime around 4 or 4:30, but I’m usually good for two more cycles after that.

    When I was in my twenties and thirties I could’ve slept much longer and more soundly. There was a time when I needed two alarm clocks to get up and go to work, and I was so cold when I got out of bed I would spend about ten or fifteen minutes just holding a cup of coffee and shivering. I had the coffeemaker on a timer so the coffee would be waiting for me.

    Things change, though. Now that I’m self-employed and have more control over my schedule, I don’t have trouble getting up to the same degree. Although it is nice to have the freedom to snooze a little longer without looking anxiously at the clock..

    If getting up was no longer a necessity, I think I’d still get up around the same time anyway. Food kept by the bed for snacking wouldn’t be the same – I have to have activity to stimulate appetite, and food tastes better when you’re hungry. I usually don’t eat till I’ve been up for around two hours.

    Like

    Reply

  10. I’m glad Bart loves being a bear. I hope the lack of snow, and resulting extra cold,isn’t a hardship for them.

    I’ve found I can’t stay abed for very long. Volunteering is like being self-employed – you have to get up sometime. Even when there is no deadline to get up for, I find that I want to get moving. We’ll see if that changes in the Caribbean – next Wed. we’re becoming snow birds and flying to St. Thomas for a week… will let you know if I can lounge in bed for longer than a half hour.
    OT: Aby baboons been to St. Thomas or the like? A Triple-A agent helped us with this, so we are pretty much flying blind.

    Like

    Reply

      1. St. Thomas is lovely this time of year. If you get a chance, take the ferry over to St. John and lay around (or snorkel) in one of the pretty bays there. Both islands have that “come up over the hill to a breathtaking bay laid out below you” thing going on.

        Stay away from the downtown/shopping areas in the morning. That’s when the majority of the cruise ship folks are there and the crowds can be crushing, depending on how many ships are in port that day.

        Like

        Reply

    2. I don’t know anything about St. Thomas, but I have found that there are some travel guides that can be helpful when traveling to new places. Some guides are better than others. I like the Lonely Planet guides. There is one that covers the Virgin Islands by Lonely Planet that has a chapter on St. Thomas.

      Like

      Reply

    3. i love st thomas but i wouldnt be spending too much time in bed. sunshine beaches beer art fun farmers markets selling all kinds of local crafts and it is so perfect weather wise. at least my memories are that way. found a neat little art shoppe by an artist who worked with other local artists and had stuff for reasonable prices unlike the watch salesmen who thought a 10,000 dollar watch for only 4000 was a great deal. dont use a cell phone it is very expensive and smoke cuban cigars they are wonderful

      Like

      Reply

    4. I’ve taken that vacation, BiR, staying at the national campgrounds at Cinnamon Bay. I give it my highest endorsement. I could run a slide show for you! It is just gorgeous, and if you stay at the campground it is a cheap vacation.

      Like

      Reply

  11. I usually don’t go to bed until 3AM, and since I keep my thermostat at 60 all winter, it might be as cold as 55 degrees upstairs. I whip under four blankets and wear a hoodie to keep my ears warm. I just can’t justify heating up the entire leaky old cottage when I really only use two rooms; the den and bedroom. I use a little electric space heater every waking hour to survive the chill. On -17 nights like last night, I always think of my daughter who gets up to care for 93 horses at the very same time I’m going to bed every night. She says that when it’s this unforgiving to be outside for several hours she has to do a dozen jumping jacks every few minutes to keep her circulation going.

    Like

    Reply

  12. Every now and again I do a crash and burn where my body rules and gets to catch on all the little snippets I steal daily from the well rested person account. Usually it’s 6 wake up and take care if critters with the intention of getting just a little more sleep before starting out. That happens 10% of the time with most days finding other options for my post critter feeding moments. If someone shot my dogs I could sleep til 9 or 10 on occasion but I like morning and have always loved a bath music news and a slow cajole into the new day. Today I had 11 minutes to be dressed and out the door but I am flexible for variations.
    I have children and they know early rising occurs in our house because noise and aromas permeate the air on Saturday and Sunday when they stay secluded until noon or later. The 19 year old because he stayed up late with the guys but the girls just have growth issues that are an either or on school days and staying up vs getting ideal sleep is always chosen but on weekends we don’t figure on serving breakfast to the inmates until after the noon sky is at hand. I used to sleep like that but I always thought it was because thc in my tobacco blend deprived me of rem and left me tired. I don’t think my kids have those issues but they still enjoy zzzzzz’s when they can get them. Nicer to have the sun there to greet you but I think April vs 9 o’clock is the answer for me.

    Like

    Reply

  13. Another great question from today’s Bart story for me is: what kinds of thoughts keep you awake when trying to fall asleep? My three-generation cruise adventure starts early this Saturday morning and, since I’m certifiably “logistics phobic”, navigating the myriad of details to set this whole trip up has been a nightmare! My first mistake added $800 extra. The only round-trip flight that would get us to Miami in time to set sail had a returning flight with a 10-hour layover. I got this clever idea that I’d just book separate flights to Miami and choose separate flights back which didn’t have such a long layover. This effectively doubled the airfare before I realized it.

    Next, Carnival convinced me to buy insurance “just in case” we arrive too late to board the ship.
    Their cut-off for this is 3PM; our flight arrives at 2PM and it’s 45 minutes from the Port of Miami.
    For another $100, I set up a Carnival shuttle to transport us from the airport to the port. We also have to make it through customs before boarding the ship. My dozen calls to Carnival reps assured me that our flight arrival of 2:02 was the latest possible time to pull this off. Two days ago, while providing them with our flight info, I was told that since 2PM was their cut-off for guaranteeing not missing the ship, those extra 2 minutes meant that I would NOT get a full refund for the cruise if we miss it (the only reason I bought insurance!).

    Believe me, what I’ve outlined above is only a fraction of the details I’ve been struggling with. Add to this, mentally envisioning what we’d do in Miami for five days rather than cruising if the weather on this end delays our flight, and it’s obvious how my anxiety keeps me wide awake the last few nights mulling over everything which could go wrong! Some later day, this will amuse me, but for now I have to admit that nobody could’ve arranged a trip as badly or caused as much unnecessary worry than I have.

    The good news is that we’re going from -15 to 80 degrees for a few days. The memories this trip will generate will be priceless!

    Like

    Reply

    2. the weather for nassau looks perfect for the next 10 days . you should be set. it is when the weather sucks and the waves are rolling that you can spend money on throwing up for endless hours. not near as much fun. enjoy

      Like

      Reply

    3. CB – the good thing about all this is that once you are on the boat, logistics become someone else’s job. Cruise ships do a great job of making practically every decision for you, except how many more shrimp to pile on your plate at the lunch buffet!

      Like

      Reply

  14. I’m not good at staying in bed. I can lounge around with the best of them, but staying in bed has never been my cup of tea. I had the flu two years ago and was in bed for 2 straight days and that was worse than how I felt! But if we’re just talking lounging around then most everything I need has been mentioned…. books, chocolate, hot tea (or iced tea if it’s summer), tv clicker w/ a good mute button.

    Like

    Reply

  18. Completely OT – to whoever recommended “Make the Bread, Buy the Butter” last week — thanks. I got it from the library and it was fascinating. Although I do quibble with anyone who thinks you should make your own croissants!

    Like

    Reply

Leave a reply to Clyde of Mankato Cancel reply