Mary got her new washer. It has an agitator and the lid doesn’t lock. She’s giddy and whistles while she works. I suggested that she could take in washings. She didn’t exactly answer. It was more like a glare.

Now for the next step: The dreaded ironing. It has really been hard on me over the years getting her sewing machine and ironing board set up every time. So being a good husband, I made her a nice place in our garage. It’s not exactly a She-Shed, it’s more like a She-Area. I tiled a section of the floor, added shelving, lights, a table for her sewing machine and set up her ironing board permanently. Now, she can do the ironing any time. I’m so good at helping.

Ironing has changed just as other chores have. I have a set of flat irons that I use as bookends at the Print Shop Museum. Back in their days, they were set on top of the stove to heat up. I think they were always two so one could be heating up while the other was being used. I remember Mom always having a water bottle with a sprinkler head on it to sprinkle the clothes before she ironed them. Later, she got one of the newfangled irons that sprayed the clothes as she ironed.

I remember back in the ‘60s, the ironing machine became poplar and we got one. It was a cylinder roller much like a dry cleaner would have. I think maybe Ironrite was the brand. Mary tried it for a while but never liked it and went back to the regular iron and ironing board. It was another “had-to-have” that went in a garage sale.

I don’t think the ironing board has changed much. Maybe from a wood frame to a metal one. Ironing boards were manufactured here in Seymour. Do they still?

I tell people I got Mary one for our anniversary. (I really didn’t, I prefer life over death). Anyway, I get my clothes nicely ironed, so I look dashing.

Don Hill is a resident of Seymour and has served as a volunteer at Southern Indiana Center for the Arts for more than a quarter of a century. Send comments to [email protected].