Last week, my friend came over to use the iron....

and thank goodness she called ahead.......it gave me time to remember where I keep it. It's behind the laundry room door with that big contraption that goes with it....I think they call it an ironing board. However, if you take it's legs off, my boys could use it at the beach to learn how to surf this summer.

I'm just saying, one day in the ocean with my boys and that ironing board would see more use than ever in it's entire lifetime. Oh what a sad day, when it came to my house. I don't remember when, exactly. I think it was a hand-me-down. Bless it's heart. But, my iron...well, that's another story, I know exactly when and where it came into my existence.

• It was a wedding gift. That means it has reached it's pimply-faced teenage years.

My good friend came over, with a couple of her daughters, because due to recent storms, they had been without power for two days. They needed a long hot shower, and without the aid of electricity and a heat pump, it wasn't going to happen at their home. Don't ask me about the husband and other two siblings.....I can only assume they don't mind being dirty.

No, wait, that's not true. They just didn't mind a cold shower. Anyway, while they were here, soaking up the lights, sights and sounds of a house that foots the bill for Alabama Power's Christmas Social, I set up the ironing board and iron for her family's daily wardrobe.

She ironed. I sat down in a chair and watched. Fascinating stuff, this ironing phenomenon. So much so, that I strike up a rousing conversation about it with my very good friend :

"So, do you iron , like, every day?"

"Yea, just about. Every night I iron all of our clothes for the next day."

"Oh. Wow, that's a lot of ironing. I don't iron. "

A small laugh bursts from my friend...just like a shot of steam from the iron...."Kimberly, what do you mean you DON'T iron.....I know you iron. What do you do about the clothes?"

"I burn my hand repeatedly trying to snatch them from the dryer and get them to a hanger as soon as it buzzes . That + a hope and a prayer will usually get us through. And on the off chance that I don't hear the buzzer, am away from home when the buzzer goes off, or am too busy with other things and ignore the buzzer, well then, I just push the de-wrinkle button on my dryer. And wait the 15 minutes for the wrinkles to fall back out. "

( I am in love with the de-wrinkle button. It is very liberating. I use it on stuff that I normally wouldn't care if it were wrinkled or not. Because with that power, with just a slight press of the forefinger, I can have wrinkle free pajamas, socks and dust rags, if I want them. )

"I don't think I have a de-wrinkle button. But even so, I know you have to iron dress shirts and the like....what do you do?"

"Umm....well, fortunately, Temple has a wonderful sister that has always been so good to buy him casual dress shirts and slacks from L.L. Bean. They have a tag in back that states = WRINKLE RESISTANT. I don't know if it's because, at the time, she loved that particular plaid or stripe, or if it's due to the fact, she knows he has a wife that hates to iron. Whatever the reason, she has excellent taste and I do, in fact, hate to iron. As I have never been one to argue with the great minds behind L.L.Bean clothing, I believe whole-heartedly that they are, indeed, wrinkle resistant. And therefore, need no help from me to achieve such state of mind.

As for all the other clothes, if the de-wrinkle button doesn't work then, yes, I do resort to pulling the iron out. Eventually. As a final choice. And I may have been known to give them another round with the de-wrinkle button, just to see if the problem can't be fixed without coming out full force with the ironing board and all."

She laughs. And shakes her head a little in pure disbelief.

I sigh, looking at her ironing with my iron, and say..... "that iron is so old, I really need to throw it away and get a new one....or at least clean it up a little."

"How old is it?"

"Well, we got it when we were married."

She laughs really big again.......(I am so glad I am here for her comedic ironing pleasure)......"Kimberly, do you know how many irons I've been through since being married?---Around 10-15."

I sat there in complete shock and awe. And made a mental note. I'm going out this week and buying me a brand new, shiny, General Electric or Black & Decker, or whoever it is that makes irons in today's world. And it will have that automatic shut-off option, and a steam option, and I hope I can get it in a cool color, like orange or purple or something. And you know what else......I may just bring it home and use it. But don't hold your breath, and certainly don't look too closely at our clothing the next time you see us. Because if it's wrinkled....I'm blaming it on L.L. Bean.


Besides, I found this little tidbit on Wikipedia concerning ironing:

• Many modern fabrics (developed in or after the mid-twentieth century) are advertised as needing little or no ironing.

Now, I don't know about you....but I think all my clothes have been developed in or after the mid-20th century......and with the whole new-age DE-WRINKLE button.......who really needs an iron, anyway?

But, if I were to need one, and since I'm already planning to get me a brand spanking new shiny one......maybe you could suggest what the best one to buy would be....kind of like my own personal Consumers Report group........:)