Pillow Talk

 Pillows and cushions used to be things that were basically ignored in a decorating scheme. They were add -ons and mainly there for comfort only, if at all. Your divan or couch or settee or sofa or chesterfield or one  of its cousins, sported perhaps a doily on the back or arm. These hand made little white bits are frowned on today and seldom spoken of, if possible. Ugh. Today, the furniture part, doesn't matter as much as what you put on it, over it or around it.  An array of cushions, some bizarrely festooned, like one that I have which sprouts long gold strands all over, or another smaller one, with sequins, can and do adorn most modern living rooms. Bedrooms have their own collections. The latters' cushions are not used, but before retiring, are tossed somewhere for the actual sleeping on the bed or beds. The cushions in sleeping places are about the onlycolor relief from the magazine inspired down quilt with its humble cotton cover that costs as much as a stove, with attendant and necessary lumpy surface all tucked into place. To "make" the bed takes considerable time, not in the tucking in, but  in replacing the cushions to their specific order and design. The time it takes to make a bed is far more than mere whipping the quilt back in place. I am a gypsy person who moves every few years, and a move means a new room colour or scheme, thus many of my cushions have, inside them, other covers. One buys pillow covers, and instead of removing the old ones, applies the new ones. The build-up only enhances, so I am told.  Dealing with cushions as a guest of another cushionista, sees one deciding on entry, and being waved to "do sit down", as to which cushion domain, you should choose. I happen to be of the untall personages, and need a seating spot that accommodates legs that, while wishing to reach the floor, depending on the furniture, often do not. I absolutely need a cushion at my back unless I want to look like a small child swinging its feet while chatting. Selecting which cushion I need for comfort, means speedy thought. I happen to know what some of the more elegant cushion covers cost, having seen the ads,  and it ranges from a wee fifteen to more than a hundred dollars a puff.  As I approach my prospective place to sit, I have to consider which cushion is not only acceptable for my back's needs but also to meet my host's decor sensitivities. One of the living rooms I visited, had gorgeous and expensive cushions lined up like soldiers on the couch and try as I might, none of them looked safe for the cushion's welfare.  I chose the one pillow, that appeared to be in my comfort zone both economically and physically. Innocently, I sat. The look on my host's face said "no, please, not that one" so I turned and opted for the antique chair in the corner, the one that had no room for a cushion. Comfort be darned. To suffer such a piece as well as balance a tea cup and plate full of veggies and dip, is challenging. I noticed that some of the other Book Club guests, simply grabbed the costly cushions and chucked them over the side. They had longer legs than mine.