An Anniversary Peek

35 years ago, on a sunny afternoon, Pater and I tied the marital knot in front of family and friends, celebrating afterwards in a lovely reception at my parents’ home. Afterwards, in a borrowed car with our canoe on top, we headed into the sunset and BC Ferries, to Saltspring and then Vancouver Island, where we canoe/hiked the Nitinat Triangle.

When we got back to our little rented bungalow (owned by, and next to, Pater’s parents), we commenced our domestic life together in a single bed, assuring all the concerned relatives (okay, that would be Pater’s parents) that we were just fine squooshed together in that small bed — you remember? squooshing is what we did best in those early days! They let us squoosh for several months, and then an arrangement was made for us to inherit Great-Aunt Winnie’s double bed (don’t worry — she didn’t die in it but was merely upgrading).

We joked for years about Great-Aunt Winnie’s bed, but it served us well. Lean student years at first while I worked and Paul completed his BSc, and then more lean years while he worked and I stayed home to raise our four (and yes, I know school and child-rearing is work, but I’m using the term here to refer to the kind one gets paid for). When we finally replaced GA W’s bed, it was with a plain box spring and mattress. Eventually we upgraded to a custom-upholstered headboard, but that’s as “bedroom suite” as we ever got. Student aesthetics were still foundational ’round here. Over the last few years, the problem wasn’t budgetary but rather logistic. While we bought a decent bed with a wicker frame from Ikea for our condo bedroom, getting a bed over to the island presents difficulties I haven’t had the energy for. But I’ve been waking up regularly with a sore back and a favourite delivery service provider has moved back to the island. The stars aligned, in other words, with our 35th anniversary — what could be a better gift?!

So we’ve grown up now!! For our 35th anniversary, I’ll let you have a peek into our bedroom and our beautiful new teak bed (plantation grown, so sustainably — and it’s ethically sourced by a local entrepreneur who maintains close ties with his workers). For the first time ever, we’re sprawling on a queen-size (my daughter and SIL, who have followed our marital tradition, accuse us of selling out in abandoning the double, altho’ we still “squoosh” in one at the apartment), so new bedding was also required. I had fun choosing these at our local HomeSense store (great buys!).

You’ll see from your brief peek that there is still something of the student in our bedroom furnishing. No curtains on the windows because we face directly onto the ocean, so there’s not too much opportunity for peeping toms. That dresser on the right has seen much better days since it started life in Paul’s parents newlywed space — those “waterfall” dressers, along with the matching vanity, were de rigeur, it seems, among the working/middle class of the 1950s. The dresser on the left is a restored antique I fell in love with years ago, one of our first furniture splurges. I can’t see us ever owning a proper “bedroom suite,” but we’re loving our new bed and expecting to sleep in it ’til at least our 60th (maybe with a new mattress along the way!)
Don’t scoff! Pater’s parents will celebrate their 60th this fall, so we consider it well within the range of possibilities. Meanwhile, we feel like newlyweds still, just in a better bed. . . .