I have always liked to iron.
I know this is weird, but, somehow I find it kind of
therapeutic to the soul!
This must date back to my early childhood...
When I was a little girl, I spent countless hours in my grandparent's cleaners, (mom worked there)
playing with hundreds of buttons...
stacking little pieces of wool fabric...
smelling the mineral spirits...
hearing and watching the steam rise from the presses...
these things are all vividly and wonderfully
imprinted on my brain.
So, that is why I think my time spent ironing
is something I enjoy.
In fact, I have often said that
I could make ironing my life work
and be perfectly happy!
I am a really good ironer... I even know some cool tricks that I learned from my mother about how to press unique and delicate fabrics without destroying them.
Bessie and Ernest Camp ran the cleaners
back in the 1940's and 50's in Mulberry, Florida.
It was on the main street through town.
They were well loved in that community.
My dad can tell you incredible stories from the days when he was a teenager and ran the laundry crews. I think a lot of amazing parenting and grand-parenting took place
in that steam-filled shop.
Here is a picture of my grandmother holding, I think my sister, Joan... with my Aunt Jenny smiling from behind.
They are standing in Camp's Cleaners!
And, as a little girl, I also had nannies during
the day, who kept us and kept house.
And, I can remember lying under the ironing board
watching soap operas as they
ironed our clothes (probably while my mom
was working at the shop taking care of
dry cleaning for other people)!
There was something about that shop.
It was a wonderful place for me.
Some things I still love:
Pressing fabrics...
Seeing, feeling, hearing steam rise...
Watching wrinkles smooth and disappear...
Maybe that's why I am a therapist... spending my days trying to help people 'iron out' the wrinkles of their lives!
Maybe that's why I love to press fabric...
Reminder of ironing out the wrinkles in my own life!
Thanks for reading my blog!
La - Ti - Do!
Jeanne
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