June 16th, 2023

Ok here's one for you from the "Duh" files. Or at least the, "You don't know what you don't know" department.

This is where I iron.  I know that most people do not iron anymore, but I do.  It's a house chore that I not only don't mind, I rather like it.  I bring order out of chaos, tidy out of not so tidy, smooth to the wrinkled and well, it's a pleasant chore for me. Yeah, I know, I'm very odd.

ANYWAY,  Way back when we first moved here, I always dragged the ironing board, hangars, the pile of stuff all out to the family room from the utility room (where that stuff otherwise lives) each time I was going to iron which is generally, twice a week.  I did that so I could have some old movie or the TLC channel or something I had recorded and saved on the TV to watch or at least listen to and semi-watch while I ironed.  And then when the construction on the family room began, I had to move my ironing station to the kitchen where I am completely in the way of anyone (that would be Tim) who wants another cup of coffee or a drink or water or to go out to the utility room or...any number of other things. 

Now the family room is back and I find myself reluctant to return to ironing in the family room. Not because I enjoy being in people's way (although in a passive-aggressive way I suppose it's a bonus) but because I don't' have to haul all the equipment alllllllll the way through the utility room, the kitchen, the eating part of the kitchen (ok we will call it a dining area) and the living room to get there.  It's a shorter trip.  I'm lazy, so sue me.  

So what happens is, I bring in the pile of stuff to iron and hangars,  set up the ironing board, plug the iron in to the outlet on the end of the peninsula and I'm ready to rock'n'roll or at least, I'm ready to iron.  I've been doing this for quite some time now.  That same outlet is where I charge my camera, plug in my giant mixer and you know how often I use that (all the time!!),  and occasionally, plug in my hair dryer if the bathroom is otherwise occupied. In short I use that outlet a lot.  Every day probably.

Well, today I set up the ironing board, plugged in the iron, selected my first item to press and, and, and,  nothing.  Iron was just as cold as a frosty morning.  What?  Did I kill another iron?  I am not certain why, but I do seem to use up irons far more frequently than seems strictly necessary.  ARGH!  I hate wearing wrinkled clothes and I hate even more offering Tim wrinkled clothes to wear.  Dang.

"Well", I thought to myself.  "There's nothing to be done about it right now.  Perhaps over the weekend we can go out and buy a new iron".   I resigned myself to being wrinkley for a few days and started to put things away.  And then it occurred to me.  What if it's not the iron?  What if it's the outlet?

So I experimentally plugged the iron into the outlet in the bathroom.  Worked like a charm. The problem was not the iron.  But if the issue is the outlet, that's electrical which means calling an electrician which is expensive and, oh dear, oh dear.  Then something else occurred to me.  Once upon a time, we lived in a place where for some reason, the light in any room had to be on for any outlet in that room to work.  Could that be the case here?  I mean, this is an older house which also means a quirky house.

Now, a side note.  Lately our electric bill has been insane. Just absolutely crazyinsane.  So in a desperate effort to offset that expense wherever we can, I find myself walking through the house turning out lights and remembering my dad doing the same thing.  He would walk through the house, turning out lights in empty rooms, muttering under his breath something about "every dang light in the house is on".   heeheehee.  What a way to remember my dad.   The thing is, I love light.  As much light as possible.  I love lots of windows, all of them thrown open, curtains pulled back, shades up and if that doesn't give me enough lights, yup, generally lights are on.  But I am trying, really trying to live with darker rooms.  Gloom.  Sigh.  

At any rate, because of my 'great efforts' the living room area had no overhead lights turned on. Because I was only working in the kitchen area (even though it's essentially all the same room) I had only the kitchen lights on. Hmmmmmm

So I walked over to the switch, turned on the living room area lights, then plugged the iron back in and sonuvagun, it works.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  How is it possible that we have lived here more than 7 years now and I just today learned that the living room area lights and that end of peninsula outlet are connected?????    I guess I always used to have the living room area lights on?  

My dad always used to tell us that we needed to learn at least one new thing every day.  I guess this was my one new thing today :)  Thanks Dad!    Works out nicely in honour of the upcoming Father's  Day, doesn't it :)

Have a great weekend y'all!  Learn one new thing and celebrate all father's and father stand-ins.  Me?  I'm going to finish up the ironing.