A little pillow talk

The world of high fashion and home decorating is a mystery to many men. Still, as the tabloid magazine says about the latest gossip, "inquiring minds want to know."

When exactly did the ordinary American pillow become a major home decorating tool? Is there any way Martha Stewart can be blamed for all of this?

There was a time when the general rule was one-bed, one-pillow. They were plump but comfortable supports for the head at nighttime. Boys and girls used them as weapons at sleep-overs. Trick-or-treaters hauled candy in the pillowcases at Halloween.

Now the experts of home decorating are tossing pillows around everywhere. There are pillows on couches, rocking chairs and, of course, beds. Plainly, this pillow proliferation poses problems for particular people.

Take my bed, for example. There are no fewer than seven pillows on my queen-size bed. There are two pillows upon which the primary bed occupants actually rest their weary heads.

Now, I relate to these two guys. They're comfortable. They're functional. They provide support to the head. They have a purpose.

There are also two similar-sized throw pillows with shams that match the bedspread. They aren't so bad.

Finally, there are three little pillows that are a part of this ensemble and, frankly, I'm not sure what they're doing in my bedroom. They are color coordinated with their buddies but they're way too small and their annoying buttons would discourage anyone from resting on them.

If I want to be under the covers by 10:30 p.m. I've got to start restacking pillows about a half-hour earlier before I get horizontal. The little pillows are kind of fun to fling across the room onto the love seat. Oddly enough, the ones we call the throw pillows are actually too big to be safely thrown across the room. Now I could walk them over to the love seat but I'm usually too tired for that. If I set them on the floor the dog will probably lay on them all night.

I've taken to propping them so they lean up against the wall along the bed. This is a lot of work at the time of day when some might argue I'm at my crabbiest.

Maybe the movie cowboys had the right idea. Does anyone know where a guy could find a saddle to rest his head on tonight?

Here's a thought for all of us as we gripe about higher gas prices this month.

More than 1 million people have lost their homes in Mozambique since early February because of the flooding that has ravaged that southeast African nation. One million people. For comparison purposes the entire population of North Dakota is only about 640,000 people.

In the United States we continue to enjoy the benefits of the world's most prosperous economy.

There's a simple test for anyone who doubts that we are living in a world of affluence. Stand on Washington Street for about three minutes and count the number of late model sports utility vehicles, minivans and pickup trucks that drive by. These big-buck vehicles are generally objects we want to have rather than ones we have to have. Consider also the number of television sets, VCRs, cell phones and home computers that are considered standard equipment for an average American family.

Most of us have never had it so good.