Missing desktop icons, files, folders - OS X Capitan (10.11.6)

Right-click on the Desktop folder, and although it shows the contents to be empty, the Get Info window shows 19.02 GB stored!

Not sure what happened, but when I opened my MBP this morning (I usually close the screen at night), all the icons, files and folders were back! I had found this article, https://www.cultofmac.com/272595/quickly-hide-icons-desktop-os-x-tips/,

and executed the commands it suggested to restore desktop items, but didn't seem to have an effect last night,

defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop true

killall Finder

yet this morning everything is back. Maybe a punishment for letting the battery drain so low?

Oh well, thanks for the help!

Bill

I can drag the folder to the desktop, but still the desktop folder remains empty. When I made the screenshots, they went to the desktop (which I moved to another folder) so it appears I can write to the folder and create new files on the desktop, it's just that the files and folders that previously existed there, and to some extent still do (according to Finder), will not display.

I am the only user (other than Guest which I have never used, and Shared which does not have a Desktop).

I am the only user (other than Guest which I have never used, and Shared which does not have a Desktop). F3 shows my three desktops, all equal to the first: empty.

Although I can drag (but not see) folders found by Finder to be on the Desktop, I can drag other folders to the Desktop folder and they do appear on the Desktop.

Thanks for the help, but no difference... I did the Relaunch, but there was no noticeable difference. I've also tried logging out and back in, and Restarting the computer... still no difference.