Conscience to Mitey Mite: You have to be on the road in less than three hours, and you still haven't packed or made your hotel reservation for tonight. You have to be sure the cats are fed and watered and the litter box is clean. Only half the stockings are hung; you have Christmas decorations and the everyday things they are replacing strewn all over the place. There are packages to be wrapped, and wrapped packages, and rolls of paper to wrap the packages, right in the middle of the den. Why, oh why, are you blogging???

Mitey Mite [with fingers in ears]: La la la la la la la, I can't hear you.

I had big plans for the four-day weekend. I would accomplish all sorts of things, plus take some time for myself. Well, no. On Thursday I cooked, on Friday I cleaned up the mess and did a little shopping. On Saturday and Sunday I found most of my day taken up with an errand I got dragged into.

My brother, who lives in another city, asked if I would take my mother to look at mattresses, as that is what he wanted to give her for Christmas. It had never crossed my mind that her mattress was ancient and probably hurting her. The poor thing has arthritis and osteoporosis and sciatica and really couldn't get comfortable. I mentioned Tempurpedic; he said oh no, he didn't want to spend that much. But I did a little research on them, anyway, especially since my brother easily makes 10 times what I do, and I could afford it. I went to the store and lay on every single mattress. There was no comparison. So I made a really tough sales call -- on my mother.

My mother went through the Depression and World War II. Sacrifice became such a habit that she doesn't know anything else. She will always say "Don't get me anything", or "Oh, you spent too much". I figured my chances of talking her into looking at a $1600 mattress were slim and none. But she is in a lot of pain, and the possibility of relief was too tempting. So, to my surprise, off we went to the mattress store. The instant she lay down on the Tempurpedic she gave a little squeal of relief, and as she settled in she was pretty much moaning in pleasure. The salesman, who had earlier flatly refused to include a free pillow with the mattress, slipped a pillow under her head. At that point, I promise you, my mother began purring. The salesman was so touched by the dramatic relief she was getting that he told me he would give us the pillow.

Here is how much difference that mattress made to her: she saw the price tag and started to protest. But it was a very weak protest, and she gave in immediately when I pointed out that we could afford it. This is not like her at all! So my brother and I are going in together to get her the mattress, and they will deliver it tomorrow. I think she is going to enjoy Christmas a lot more because she will have had several nights of good sleep.