Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Twenty-eight degrees. I looked at the morning temperature on my phone as I awoke. Twenty-eight degrees. Sure is warm underneath this comforter. I know it’s time to get up and I have things to do, but ten more minutes won’t matter. Have you ever felt that way? I did this morning. It’s not that I needed the sleep. It’s impossible to go back to sleep for ten minutes; it just feels so comfortable. I don’t know who started calling a blanket a comforter, but they sure hit the nail on the head.

I was in a doctor’s office last week and the subject of cold weather came up and she made the comment that her best friend was her electric blanket. I hadn’t heard about electric blankets in forever. Didn’t even know they were still around, but I recalled the electric blankets we had when I was young.

Mine was a light blue color and the electric wires could be felt in the cloth. I don’t know why I wasn’t afraid of being electrocuted, but I guess it was safe. Or else, we wouldn’t have used them. Just plug them in a few minutes before crawling into bed and it was as comfortable as a three dog night.

A three dog night? Remember “Jeremiah was a bullfrog?” Those were the opening words to a song written by Hoyt Axton. The name of the song was “Joy to the World” and, when considered seriously, it made no sense whatsoever.

At the same time, when recorded by a rock group by the name of Three Dog Night, it made a lot of sense. Or should I say a lot of “cents!” It was a million dollar song for them in 1971 and is probably the reason they were well-known.

I don’t know how they chose the name Three Dog Night, but I do know that the phrase “three dog night” has something to do with warmth in a bed on a very cold night.

There was a time when central heating was not so prevalent in homes, especially, in the colder climates of the world. I saw the phrase, “three dog night” mentioned as originating in Siberia and Australia. Let’s use Siberia.

They have those dogs known as Siberian Huskies. The average annual temp for Siberia is in the mid-twenties Fahrenheit. That’s the average temperature, mind you, not the low. I looked it up and the current temperature in Siberia, today, is minus nine degrees!

I don’t know about you, but there’s not enough blankets or comforters to keep me warm at night in Siberia. So what do they do? They let the dogs sleep with them to keep them warm. If it’s just a regularly cold night one dog may suffice and sometimes two dogs are needed. But if it is a bitterly cold night, it’s called a “three dog night.” I hope the dogs have had a bath.

No thank-you. I don’t want to live in Siberia and, as loving as Little Bit was, I don’t think I would like him as a sleeping partner. I think Donna Sue would have been more comfortable with Little Bit sleeping in the bed, but he wiggled around too much for me. Plus, his nose was too cold.

And I surely couldn’t imagine having three dogs in the bed with me. Colorful quilts, one or two blankets, or a beautiful comforter or even an electric blanket will be fine for me. I’ll set the thermostat at a comfortable temperature and be thankful for a warm bed. And when it’s time to get up, all I will still need about ten more minutes!