May 26th, 2017

Something went awry with yesterday's blog post between the moment I finished writing and when I hit the button to post it which is, in fact, a mere fraction of a second.  But clearly it doesn't take long in the cyber world for things to go sideways. Because while these are the same photos that you saw yestrday, the vast majority of the text disappeared. So I will try to recreate it for you today. And hope that it doesn't do another magicians exit.

The fact of the matter is that I have learned that, unbeknownst to me for a long time, as it turns out, most people do not like ironing. To the point where they either A) do not iron at all or B) only do it when absolutely necessary and then are quite unhappy about it.

I guess I'm the wierdo  (no surprise there) because I kind of like ironing. I usually let it accumulate for a week and then I post myself in front of the TV in the family room, turn on one of the shows I've recorded, usually something on HGTV or TLC, and get to work.  I find it relaxing, almost soothing.  It certainly doesn't take a lot of smarts. Let's face it, ironing is not rocket science.  I'm merely taking a heavy hot thing and applying to it wrinkly things and making them smooth. 

I like the way my clothes (and therefore anyone in my household's clothes) look when they are ironed.  Even clothing that has tags which promote the fact that they are "no-iron" get ironed and they are the better for it.  Everything looks crisp and fresh and new and as if I made the effort, which in fact, I did.  I'm not a lunatic about it.  I don't iron pajamas or underwear after all.  And I do not iron sheets although I do iron tablecloths. Apparently I have rules about this.

When the kids were small, ironing was more of a challenge. Everything was so small and irons are so big in comparison!  It was particularly tricky when my nieces were with us. Little girl clothes have far more gathers and tucks and flounces and pleats. But both of them have teensy tiny buttons to iron around. 

I am aware that once a person sits or bends or buckles their safety belt the clothes are wrinkled again. But anyone can still tell the difference between ironed clothes that got a little wrinkled and un-ironed clothes that are even more wrinkled.  Or at least I can.  And when I present myself to the world in properly ironed clothes, it helps me to feel more presentable.  If I feel more put together, I am more confident.  I guess it's a mind game I play on myself.  But other people buy it so it still counts.

I bet if you asked any of my boys the proper way to iron a dress shirt they would still answer, "collar, yoke, sleeve, sleeve, side, side, back".  Because that's what I taught them. No helpless men in my house, no siree.  They were raised to know how to take care of themselves.  And yes, the order that the parts of a dress shirt are ironed does make a difference. It's how the parts already ironed do not get wrinkled while ironing other parts. Simple!

Nowadays the stuff in the pile is pretty boring. Usually just shorts and shirts, occasionally a pair of Tim's trousers and even more rarely a skirt or dress of mine.  There was a time when every ironing day was a surprise.  Maybe not as surprising as the time I found a frog in the washing machine. Which coincidentally was the day I became a full-fledged pocket checking laundry-Nazi.  But that's a story for another time.

I guess everyone has parts of household chores that they dislike more than others.  I'm not a huge fan of dusting for example.  I do it, but it's not my favourite. In fact, don't tell anyone, but lots of times the "dusting" gets done when I'm on the phone walking around the house.  I always walk when I talk. Sometimes I "dust" with one of my sleeves (if I'm wearing sleeves that day) other times with a shirt tail.  Polishing the furniture I don't mind. It smells so nice and it's shiny afterwards, but dusting?  I'm sending all the dust up into the air so that it can settle elsewhere.  My mother used to refer to dusting as re-arranging the dust.

But I find ironing peaceful.  Maybe it's the rhythm of the chore. And the fact that I  get to watch one of my TV shows. I don't know for certain why I enjoy it.  But I do know that I'm apparently the oddball on this point and I'm okay with that. I will continue to iron.

But as I said yesterday, I don't do windows.

Everyone please enjoy a very fun but safe Memorial Day Weekend. And while you are enjoying it, Remember why.