It’s nearly that time of year again.  The days are getting longer. Easter is tomorrow. I am eagerly watching for the first appearance of bulbs while each day more green is appearing in the yard and in the field. Before long I will turn the horses out to pasture.

For me, all of these springtime events bring about thoughts of spring cleaning. It won’t be long before the down comforter that fills my duvet will be removed and replaced with something lighter and cooler. I’ll throw open all of the windows and let fresh air fill the house. I’ll clean and scrub and organize. It makes me happy just thinking about all that freshness!

Ok, if I’m honest, I will want to do all of these things. When my children were younger and so was I, I would have. But now, I will make a valiant effort. I will do some of them, but some of  the things on my spring cleaning to-do list will still be there when the leaves turn to autumn gold.

When my children were little and underfoot and needing help with even the simplest of tasks I knew it would only get easier as they grew. I was so wrong.

Now I am home less. I’m driving them from one event to another. I’m attending their activities. Their problems can no longer be fixed with a quick kiss and a band-aid, if they can be fixed at all.  This all takes time and energy. As I am more often away from home, I accomplish less at home. And that’s ok. It might challenge some of my borderline OCD tendencies, but those things don’t always serve me well anyway.

But, one task will be completed. It happens every Spring, without fail. The cozy, flannel sheets that provide comfort and warmth through the winter will be replaced with crisp, cotton percale.

Did you know that just a few years ago, the percale sheet was almost extinct?  When my sheets had worn thin and it was time to replace them, I naively thought I’d run to the store and return with new, crisp sheets. I love new sheets. I eagerly headed to the store and scoured the shelves. Microfiber sheets, cotton sateen, jersey. Thread counts claiming to be in excess of 1000, but no percale.

Hmmmm. Not to be deterred I took myself off to Tuesday Morning. They always have a lovely selection of high quality sheets at amazing prices. Again, sheets of various fibers, weaves and thread counts, but no percale.

By then I was completely baffled. Percale sheets are the classic, quintessential sheet. They were the kind your grandma had, the sheets that snapped in the breeze when drying on the clothesline. They were smooth, crisp and cool when you slid between them on a warm summer evening and their pillowcase were cool against your face.

Panic started to set in. I could not believe they were no longer available. It was simply inconceivable. I had to be mistaken, confused somehow. An internet search revealed that sadly, there was no mistake. The sheets were simply not available. I found entire websites dedicated to righting this travesty. It was the theme of more than one blog. I was not the only one missing “grandma’s sheets.”.

I reluctantly decided my existing sheets must made to last a little bit longer. Then, I did the only thing I could. Before I tell you, please promise not to mock. I know it sounds extreme. You may think I surely had more important things demanding my attention. But sometimes the little things, little comforts make all the difference. So I did it.

I wrote to two major sheet manufactures and asked them to bring back the percale. To my surprise, one of them responded with two sets of percale sheets, a cotton/poly blend and a 100% cotton. They asked me to review them as they were currently being tested for production.

Glory Hallelujah! I was happier than I’m comfortable admitting. For a minute there I thought I was going to have to figure out how to manufacture my own! That was several years ago. Today, I’m happy to report, percale sheets are once again widely available.

But what are percale sheets and why should you care? In today’s world most sheets are not inexpensive and you spend 1/3 of your life in bed. Sheets represent an investment of both money and time. But, the choices in sheets are wide and often confusing. In order to help clear the air, I’ve created a sheet buying guide. You can find it here, as well as my recommendation for percale sheets that are beautiful, durable, the perfect blend of soft and crisp and best of all, they are affordable.

And if you couldn’t care less what makes a good sheet, but still want the recommendation, feel free to just scroll to the bottom of the guide!