ironic

Did you ever iron your recipe cards?  I just did.   Several that had been in high circulation had gotten splashed, stained, and wrinkled.  They just didn’t look nice anymore, despite the treats they promised.  Sure, they’d still fit in the recipe box, but they deserved better.  So, when I went downstairs to iron that remaining blue handkerchief from my last load, I took them with me.  The silicone barrier sheets from t-shirt transfers make the process easy peasy and out emerged some nice flat recipe cards.  I even ironed a recent reprint that had become a little wrinkled laying around (1).  Since med school when I realized I’d better learn to enjoy the time spent doing mundane household tasks, I’ve loved ironing.  Bringing order to a wrinkled piece of cloth using a dangerously hot implement has such an appeal.  As my dear Grandma Slater emerged from her stroke, one of the first things she wanted to do was iron some things.  I puzzled over it then but understand it now.  This was bringing order out of the chaos of life, with a very predictable outcome.  That stack of nicely ironed and folded things speaks to some time well spent.  Not near as much call for ironing these days with Perma Press and all sorts of other conveniences.  Here on Harbal I haven’t ironed a white shirt since my obsession years ago that the collar should be neat.  All that comes out wrinkled and asking for attention are dishtowels, formal napkins, and handkercheifs.  And I approach those with relish.  We have what’s called our ‘SRO’ (sewing room, office).  In it are Kathy’s sewing doo-dads, file cabinets full of important stuff, all my vinyl records, some books, most of Kathy’s 200 plus stuffed animals, and some well respected ironing equipment.  The ironing board hangs on a couple hooks behind the door (2) while the iron itself sits on a gen-you-wine ”Slater Safety Stand”, an item invented and patented by my Grandpa Slater, a Grand Rapids fireman at the time (3).  He’d observed that so many of the house fires he was called to were started by the woman of the house laying her hot iron on the ironing board and neglecting it.  That shall not happen at Harbal!  Hot iron will continue to meet wrinkles, but expect no flambé as a consequence.

References

1. Ike RW, McCoy SS. Learn labial salivary gland biopsy online. J Clin Rheumatol  29(7): 363, October 2023.c

2. Ike B. Hooked!  WordPress 1/11/24.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2024/01/11/hooked-2/

3. Ike B.  makin’ t-shirts.  WordPress 1/10/24.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2024/01/10/makin-t-shirts/