“My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint.”
The morning is chilly. The sun though bright in the sky is merely an ornament. The breeze is every now and then. It will stay in the 50’s today. The dogs love this weather. They have been in and out most of the morning. They have a routine. They wait in a line of two until I first open the door then out they run. They are quickly back and stand by the cabinet door for their morning treats, dog biscuits, then out they go again. I shared my breakfast with them. Each got a spoonful of coffee and a piece of biscotti. They seem to be partial to the lemon biscotti.
Yesterday I was a woman of leisure. I finished one book and started another. Today I have a few things to do. I’m going to iron. Yup, I still have an iron, a steam iron. It was a house warming present in 1977. I can’t remember the last time I used it, but I need to iron some placemats which were washed and are quite wrinkled. Nala had stolen them from a basket and taken them to the backyard. Nothing is safe from Nala. I only wish she could iron. It would be a fitting punishment.
When I was a kid, my mother ironed all the time. The wringer was tough on clothes. I remember her sprinkling water on the clothes then folding them for a bit so they’d be damp. That made the ironing easier. She had a stand which could be folded and unfolded. It had a base and a rod. On the rod, she’d put the hangers with the newly ironed clothes on them. I once had a similar rod. I used to iron every week. I’d set up the ironing board and the rod in the den so I could watch TV. I used spray starch. I always thought the sleeves were the hardest parts to iron.
In Ghana, they still use charcoal irons. They are wedge shaped and made of cast iron. The top comes up so you can put in the charcoal. I was always glad I had someone to iron my clothes. I would have burned myself for sure.
My dogs have an apple basket filled with toys. Some are perfectly intact while others are missing parts. The worst are just empty shells of themselves. I’d stand on the deck and sometimes see the white stuffing sort of looking like snow and wonder which creature, which toy, had met its demise. Some I triage by sewing seams. Nala likes the rubber toys. I find them in the yard. One toy, once red, was Gracie’s favorite. It was in the yard a long while and lost its color, but Nala doesn’t mind. She carries it in her mouth and runs the yard. Better that toy than another possum or squirrel, toys to her and the prizes of keep away.
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April 30, 2022 at 5:25 pm
Hi Kat,
When I was a kid my mother and my aunt ironed everything they washed. I remember when wash and wear shirts first came out. Now every shirt I own is wash and wear. When I was a freshman in collage I was in the Air Force ROTC. I had to have my blue shirts laundered with heavy starch to pass inspection. I also had to have a spring loaded, “Jiffy” under the collars to keep them pointing down when worn with a tie. Between the spit shinned shoes and the marching, I gave it up and just took PE the next semester. 🙂
Today is a similar partly cloudy day with a high in the low 80s. A line of tornadoes hit a town just east of Wichita Kansas. Luckily no one was killed or seriously hurt. “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas any longer”. Welcome to tornado alley.
https://www.wfmz.com/weather/video-captures-incredible-fury-of-andover-tornado/video_ae77c6ba-3010-5e60-a25b-556a3ba9e204.html
April 30, 2022 at 8:33 pm
Hi Bob,
My father used to take his shirts to the laundry where they were cleaned and starched. I bought his his first wash and wear, and he loved it. He was happy to give up the starched shirts. He always spit polished his shoes and ours if we were around.
I never heard of “Jiffy” under the collars. That is quite interesting as I thought the collars just naturally stayed flat.
That film was horrifically frightening especially with the funnels. I’m much happier contending with hurricanes.
April 30, 2022 at 9:49 pm
The only good thing about a tornado is that the damage is extreamly localized. When the EF3 tornado hit my neighborhood in October 2019, the condo building about 800 feet from our front door had the entire roof ripped off and the two story building had to be demolished. We suffered one broken window. My dentist’s office located across the street from my condo had the roof damaged and rain leaked inside. He had to remodel the inside as well as replace the roof. I’ll take my chances with a tornado rather than a hurricane where the damage is more widespread.
May 1, 2022 at 12:22 am
Hurricanes share the damage to the whole area. There is no spot damage. Houses have fallen into the ocean after the winds blew away the sand. I remember one street which was destroyed on the ocean end. The road just went into the sea.
You were so lucky with only a broken window considering the damage around you. I’ve seen videos of the damage done by tornadoes. I am amazed to see one house untouched but surrounded by devastation.