Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Iron

There’s something special about old irons and my dear, little mother. It seems she has gathered quite a collection of them over the past few years.

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Quite a while ago I shared my dear mother’s laundry room with you here. She has added more irons to her collection since then – children’s irons, heavy irons, shiny silver irons, brightly colored irons and irons with strange-looking parts attached. Just before Christmas a long-time friend gave my dear mother some money to buy something special for herself. She carefully put the money in a little pocket of her purse and waited to find just the right thing! A few days later we visited an antique store – and there it was. A pretty blue iron that captured her heart must have been waiting for her to come along. Soon it was in her arms and then in her home. This beauty was right at home in my dear mother’s laundry room!

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Does your iron have a name? My dear mother’s new iron does. It has a ‘fun’ name – Fairy Prince!

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When I was a little girl we lived in a small town in Central Oregon where my father was the minister of a church. I walked to school every morning with a group of kids from the neighborhood. In the afternoon we walked home from school together. As we passed each friend’s home along the way we said goodbye and continued on until I was the last only one left. I didn’t have far to go – just a house or two – and then I was home! My mother was there when I opened the door of our home and at times she was still working on something that needed to be completed that day. Monday was washing and ironing day and I will never forget how carefully she ironed my father’s white shirts. They were washed and starched and carefully ironed so no wrinkle would have the nerve to try to stay! When she began to teach me how to iron – she started me out on my dad’s hankies – she instilled in me the importance of carefully pressing out every single wrinkle. She taught me that it was important for him to have carefully ironed shirts and hankies so people wouldn’t be a distracted from his words when he stood to preach. Or when he talked and prayed with people. I learned so much from her. I learned to do a job well and to take pride in what I had done. More than that – whenever my mother stood over the ironing board for several hours, carefully ironing my father’s shirts and my little dresses and the pillowcases and tablecloths and much more – she prayed. Oh, how she prayed! Her example taught me more than words that I could pray anywhere, at any time, while doing anything. What a heritage she gave me!

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I read this poem recently and it reminded me of those days long ago.

Ironing

I have ironed my husband's shirts, oh, very smoothly;
I wish I could as easily erase
His frowning, worried look of inattention
I cannot read the new lines in his face.

Mary lets me iron her crepes and laces;
I wonder if she thinks that Mother's hands
Would tear the fine-meshed fabric of her love dream?
I wish she knew that Mother understands.

Jack likes the finest nainsook, trim, athletic,
Next to his skin. Most finical of men,
How can he bear to waste his time on Gladys?
I wish he were a little boy again.

Oh, well! My task today is just the ironing;
But while I iron, I cannot help but pray
Dear Lord, please let me smooth my loved ones' pathways;
Please do not let them drift too far away!

__May Williams Ward.


With a grateful heart,
~Adrienne~


13 comments:

  1. What a wonderful collection of vintage irons you mother has. I love the blue one...

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  2. Such a cute and colorful display! It sounds as if your mother loves to iron, I have always liked it too. Smoothing out those wrinkles is somehow relaxing and I always love how everything looks all fresh and smooth:>)

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  3. Look at all of her cute collections! Love those little irons!!

    xo
    Becky

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  4. Today is a special day. I read your blog often but never comment. Love your mother's collection. I have a few myself. I happen to also love ironing, watching the iron smooth over the wrinkle, to see the results, smell the scent and feel the warmth come up from the clothing. I'd never seen the poem before either, I'm saving it. Thank you for sharing this lovely post.

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  5. I am totally in love with your mother's laundry room! And she has Blue Willow plates on the wall - the crowning touch! I love my blue willow - my very first set of dishes 46 years ago. blessings, marlene

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  6. Wonderful post. I love irons also. Don't have as nice of a collection. But I remember my mom ironing. She would hang all my dresses and blouses on the molding around the door in the Living Room. I can still see it clearly. My mom has been gone a long time, but in my mind, she is standing there ironing!!

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  7. Oh, a beautiful post. I love your mother's laundry room!

    I have a small collection of old irons. I started gathering them as an early teen. My aunties gave me some that had been my grandmother's. They were flat irons that heated on a wood stove. I still have them --- and think of how hot and difficult it must have been for my grandmother to iron. In those days they even ironed sheets!

    Someday I will share about my irons on my blog --- and will try to remember to link to you here.

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  8. I love old irons and your mother's collection is absolutely FABULOUS~ Oh My! what a treat to see them ;-)

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  9. I recently started following you and love coming here and reading. I lvoe your post and your lovely words are always so fitting for the day at hand.
    Today your blog left me thinking of my lovely grandma who has been gone so very long and the lessons learned from her and the ironing board. Then watching my mom ironing as a child. I took ironing in as ayoung teenager to make extra income. This truely blessed me and brought tears and wonderful memories to me today. Thank you so much. Your mother has a lovely collection and love her laundry room.

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  10. What a terrific post...amazing the irons and how beautifully they are displayed...and your Mother, how cute she is! All very, very sweet.

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  11. I love your mother's laundry room. She has such treasures there. I really was taken with the embroidered pillow behind her on the chair. Just lovely. I do love to iron. It is one of my favorite household jobs to do and the memories come flooding back of learning to iron a man's shirt are precious. Thanks!

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  12. Adrienne, this post makes me sigh and smile at the same time. I love it. I love your memories, and your mother is so pretty.

    And, her iron collection is fantastic.

    I remember those ironing days, too. My iron does have a name - Rowenta. LOL♥

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  13. Wow! What a beautiful collection. I love your sweet Mama's laundry room and can imagine how fun it is to spend some time in there.

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