i have
always enjoyed serving Women and look for situations where i can do so, whether
at home, at work, in a social setting, at the Boutique where i often help out,
at the Women’s Center where i volunteer, or at the Woman-led congregation where
i worship.
i
absolutely enjoy serving Women! Women understand my feelings and accommodate me
both to their – and especially my – satisfaction. And one of the keys
to improving one’s service to Women is simply the desire to do a good job. my
experience is that Women have always been willing to invest Their time and
effort to teach me – or any man – a new domestic skill.
i am
convinced that i enjoy housework today because of the good training that i had
from both my Wife’s Grandmother, Joan, and Joan’s Mother, Sue. Their training
not only taught me valuable domestic skills, essential to happiness in my life
with Nancy, but also instilled a level of personal pride and dedication in
performing those tasks. They schooled me on the finer points of many domestic
tasks, of course, but one stands out and that is ironing.
i love
to iron now, but when i was first told that i had to learn, i was inwardly
hesitant. Ironing seemed complicated. my real fear wasn’t of doing more work –
but, rather, that i would somehow fail at the task and not meet Joan’s
expectations.
Confusing
my hesitance with disobedience, Joan administered some “motivation” to the
backs of my bare legs – Ouch! i explained my reservations to no avail. “Reservations
of not,” She promised that not only would i learn to iron but that i’d have fun
doing it. It was a promise that She was to keep!
Ironing
lessons started immediately. As i stepped up to the ironing board, my
trepidations melted! i was suddenly more than a little excited at the prospect
of ironing; it was a lot like taking a seat in a sports car – i could hardly
wait to start! She was right; ironing was going to be fun!
Joan
taught me so many practical things:
- The workings of the ironing board
- The workings and settings of the iron
- Proper ironing motion and the importance of keeping
the iron moving at all times; “ironing is flowing,” She’d say, “almost
like performing a ballet!”
- How to read garment labels to ensure they were
ironed on the correct setting; too low and there would be wrinkles; too
high and a garment might scorch – in either of these undesirable
situations there would be painful consequences for me!
- Organizing garments from lowest to highest iron
setting both to be more efficient as well as reduce the possibility of
scorching more delicate fabrics
- The importance of being organized by having enough
hangers and of having the hanging rack open and near-by
- Sprays, starches, what they did, when to use them,
and the importance of reading the wearer’s instructions as to whether She
wanted starch or not – a protocol for the Women was to properly label
their ironing so it was done as they wished.
- Inspect each garment to see if it needed buttons or
other repairs; I was to set aside such items and tend to them; loose
buttons on returned garments were not acceptable!
- Proper hanging and folding techniques
- Use of fragrances and sachets as a finishing touch
- The use and importance of a garment steamer in
keeping garments like Women’s business suits looking good
Joan
started me out on simple things like handkerchiefs and slips and, as i
improved, She moved me on to more complex pieces. Before long i was doing
lace-trimmed blouses and pleated skirts – i love such challenging pieces! At
first She stood over me through every step, but as my skills improved, She’d
leave me at the board and come back periodically to check my progress.
She
demanded perfection. Things that weren’t up to Her standards had to be done
over and likely merit a little of Her painful brand of “motivation.” Do things
right though and She just might – just might! – invite me to have a cigarette
with Her!
When
Joan felt i was sufficiently skilled, She arranged for me to do ironing for Her
Sisters and a few of Her Friends. They would bring over a basket of ironing and
often stay and chat over coffee while i worked. They always involved me in
their conversations, although i heeded the advice that the Women in Nancy’s
family always gave men – “Shut up and listen!” i learned a lot by listening.
The Women were indeed wise, and it was obvious why each of them was in charge
of Her respective household.
Ironing
quickly went from being a chore to being a hobby. Today i love coming home and
seeing a basket or two of ironing for me to do. i don’t view it as part of my
housekeeping but something to be enjoyed during my personal time.
5 comments:
Absolutely wonderful and inspiring. It too had an epiphany when doing the ironing for a girl friend and it was with a real feeling of accomplishment that I did a pleated skirt of hers.
I really love doing it. And it was so good to hear that you think of it as a hobby and that it is a preference for your leisure time.
I would have liked to have been physically corrected at the time of learning to do it correctly but she wisely waited till it was safer before physically correcting me.
Femsup
I am continully impressed by Dennis's teachers and the skills he has acquired. Maybe a better word would be 'inspired'. I, too, iron. My ex taught me initially. My wife now expects me to iron certain items for her, mostly work dress shirts and pants or skirts. Before being allowed to do this, my knowledge and experience was tested. She was not impressed and re-educated me on the iron settings, techniques, dangers and warnings. Then I ironed a couple of shirts in her presence; she critiqued and made some modifications in my technique. Since then I have been on my own. I have burned one shirt by having the iron set too high, but otherwise she has been pleased. Generally, I will iron the regular items that she expects after I have done the laundry without any prompting. However, on occasion she will hand me an item or two and ask me to iron them immediately. I always respectfully thank her whenever she gives me any job to do. I might add that sometimes she does iron an especially difficult piece. This pleases me as it shows she knows my limits and reminds me of them from time to time. Humble pie is good for a man's soul.
dennis responds to tony,
our experiences are similar as far as learning and teaching is concerned. i've been doing the ironing ever since and - as i stated - really enjoy doing it. The Women expect that things will be ironed as needed; they know my skills are up to par, necessitating little oversight on their part. On occasion i will get a close inspection but it's rare that i get any critique or demerits. i suppose this is because i enjoy ironing and take great pleasure in it. My ironing is well known and i frequently do outside ironing, usually for Sue's friends. They'll be coming for a social visit with Sue and will ask Her, "Is the ironing service running today?" When Sue says, "Yes" i'm sure to have a basket to iron. i've also ironed for my Boss, Carol. Just this week we were traveling together on business. She came by my room and dropped off a skirt, jacket, and blouse to have ironed, saying She'd be back for them in an hour. She thanked me but believe me, it was my pleasure.
As for your burning a shirt this would have resulted in some dire consequences for me. Nevertheless, if you start at a low setting and work your way higher you're less likely to burn anything. Start with your delicate fabrics on low temperatures and work your way up. An iron heats more quickly than it cools, another reason to start with low temperatures.
At the Center we're thinking about offering an ironing course. The housekeeping course we periodically run includes ironing but more in depth coverage is needed. There will definitely be testing as a part of this course. Women want to be confident in their man's skills.
d
Thank you, Dennis. Yes, the burned shirt caused sharp criticism as well as reminders of settings, as you mentioned, and closer inspection of my work for several days afterwards. Now I seem to be back on my own. I have not ironed for friends, however her young daughter is visiting next week for a week, so I may be 'pressed' into service. She will be moving here next Spring and I would imagine then I would be doing much more ironing.
The ironing course is a very good idea. Does the Center have cleaning courses, especially for bathrooms and kitchens? I am more criticized for my efforts in these areas, rather than other rooms. I do not think I am unique in this regard. Maybe Mark will comment on his experiences?
A blouse I was ironing inexplicably just sizzled up fizzed once. I could not explain it. Never seen anything like it in my life.
I was of course punished and no amount of my trying to explain the in explainable. I could of been trying to explain spontaneous human combustion.
I was a little pouty and recalcitrant after that and deserved the second reddening of thighs and bottom.
I now know that She was right. Even though it was not really my fault how was She to know that. All She saw was a damaged blouse.
Better to have bitten my tongue and just apologised as whether it was an act of Goddess or the wrong material in that part of the blouse I was responsible for it.
Femsup
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