iron iron

Well, in God's world, good can come of anything.  And so I am taking advantage of the lack of power to learn a few new things.  One of them is the use of a real iron. An iron iron.

a real iron made of iron

Since we have had no power for over a month now (other than the brief time we pump water up to the roof tank with our generator), ironing has been a challenge.  It's been more of a challenge for me because I haven't known how to do the alternative route. 

Sr. MT was kind enough to show me how last week.  I missed the heating up of the charcoal, but apparently she usually does it separately and then puts it in the iron, which has its own little iron trivet so you don't burn the porch tiles (should such a thing be possible).

Next step: swing the open iron like a thurible to get the air moving through the coals to make them hotter.

Once they are glowing orange, close the iron carefully and latch the top thoroughly.  Very thoroughly.  Which may not stop you entirely from wondering whether or not or you are about to dump burning coals on yourself.

Wipe the iron on a clean rag to make sure it's not so hot that it will burn your clothing.  Give thanks for the little spray bottle you bought in the travel section at Target - and then go get a whole container of water, because you will go through it really fast with this level of heat.

Scorch your habit collar anyway (fortunately on a spot that won't show!).  Plan not to iron your own habit with this anytime soon.  Successfully iron a less important stack of clothing that has been rumpled for far too long.  Feel very satisfied.

filled with hot charcoal

From time to time, you need to open the iron up to see if the coals are still hot.  If not, tap it somewhere apart to get the white stuff off of them, and wave your piece of cardboard over it to fan it again - or return to swinging it like a thurible.  (You never know when those acolyting skills will come in handy.)

One final essential:  it is imperative that you have a lovely view, since this process takes a while and you might as well enjoy it.

a beautiful view while ironing is essential