IS it only me, or is ironing just a great big drag? I have an iron. Someone gave it to me as a wedding, gift vears ago. I think | even have the box it came in. 1 j just haven’t found any good rea- son to use it. My mother has a thing about i ironing. She takes great pride in ironing my dad’s work shirts and keeping a sharp crease in all his trousers, She thinks I am neglectful of my wifely duties because I don’t feel the same way. She nags me about my husband’s unironed pants. “There is no crease in John's pants,” she declares every time we are over for dinner. “Honestly, Shannon, don’t you have any pride?” “You're ratking to the wrong person,” I say. “Talk to John, or better yet, his drycleaner.” When I was first marticd 1 tried ironing once. John and I were both y) a 7 maitho x working at the time, and try- ing hard to save money. But it took me about 10 minutes to iron just one shirt. The heat had to be adjusted sever- al times to get the right set- ting. Certain of the shirts devel- oped minor burns, as did my left hand. And cven though | was very careful, the shirts looked crumpled by the time I got them onto the hanger and into the closet. One sure thing I learned from the experience is this: ironing is not 2 hereditary trait. When I complained to my mother about my frustrating beg on, Lube & Fitter i 21 pt. 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Pm never ironing ” This upset my mother so much that she insisted on coming over to iron John’s shirts herself, for fear Gur marriage might break up. “You don't even have to tell him [ did it, we can let him think you ironed them yourself!” she encouraged, winking at me conspiratorial- lv. I knew I was giving in. Still, E let her do this fora couple of months, until, final- ly the guilt got to me. “Mom, please stop ironing John’s shirts,” I pleaded. “He's a big boy, he can take them to the cleaners.” “They don’t do as nice a job as I do,” she retorted. Of course she was right, but I just couldn't let her do any more ironing for me. Dear Editor: Re; Firetighting cutbacks One of the prnapal con- cerns resulting from cuthacks is the ability of essential com: IM CIPZOCT INE Zz Bomber And. te ber great amaze ment, nw husband learned to take his shirts ro the cleaners, they came our lookiay pretty sharp. and our marriage sur- ved. One evening, a few vears back, John and T were ing tO go to a tural ge event fora favonte charity. Jonn dug out his father’s ruacdo and the dress shirt that went with it just before it was time to leave. Fhe shirt had been functioning as a cat bed for some years, and was in sad shape. “IV have to be ironed,” he pronounced. “Nonsense,” T scolded him. “No one will notice the shirt if you keep your jacket on all night.” “But the collar is folded in six places,” he complained. tidn’t you please try ironing, just one more time?” He dropped onto his knees in a gesture of extreme supplication, and clutching his shirt to his chest started on’t cut our essential serv munity services to be prepared to act quickly and effectively in the event of a major disaster -- not the feast of which would be an earthquake. It a SB\KONA, KULA - ORT Components ee ee ee a) aA . YP JN EAUTIFUL fesk ridg the Wor lds finest . Vier bile Sah. Worlds largest KONA Dedler Rated Best ‘Seri vice Shop in the Lox wer Mainland DEEP COVE BIKE SI SHOP — IOWNTOWKL DEEP forests a WHERE TRONOMICALLY Low PRICES ARE THE LAW ORLPLS LARGEST KONA DEALER 4310 Gallant Aye, North Van \, “4918 “www. covebike.com weekends a Friday. July 17. 1998 — North Shore News - 7 New wrinkles in household ironing wars to beg “Please, Shannon, pretty please iron my shirt for ‘ rou do it vourself, [already tried it once and Pim no good at it. v vour excellent hand- eve coordination, you'll be a whiz.” “Oh all right,” he sighed, realizing he was fighting a losing bartie. “Where's the iron?” It just so happened that my mother was coming over to baby-sit the kids for us that night. They were all playing quietly in the family room, waiting for her to arrive when | emerged from the attic with the iron and ironing board. “What is that?” cried my oldest boy, immediately spot- ting the strange, shiny thing. “Its an iron,” I said, solemnly. The others jumped up excitedly to see. They were like sharks to blood, bom- barding me with questions as I set up the board and would be the height of arro- vance, (and ignorance of the tact that we're on the San Andreas Fault: running from Alaskitto Mexico), for mavor ie Dy d ein Ge a4 af Atom gla ~tront Slispernston . 7 Ritee “SRD. Pedals “+ Easton Elite | Aleineneny Frame b eg $2600; 24 Clothing 20% Off. RD, Chipses sre Pedals RAMOYZOCCH 22 Bum ed / cid Weekdays Saimeg pan Sane epm iZVAV VE MOTE VUNVA GSHl SHSIN SHOLUC AOT TSAVORA THO —_ NY SIEG SSTH plugged in the strange new Is it a machine? What kind of a noise does it make? Is that the runway for it? Does it shoot anything?” they asked, crowding around me with wonder in their faces Just then, my mother walked in. “Ask vour grandmother,” 1 laughed as she took the awkward metal thing from my fumbling hands and set to work. The children were utterly captivated. When we returned home later that evening my mother was asleep in the big chair in front of the TV; a pussycat in her lap, the dogs at her feet. No sign of the iron or the ironing board save for the line of freshly pressed shirts she had spirited trom John’s laundry, washed, and ironed. She just couldn’t help herself. It’s like I said, my mother has a thing about ironing. ‘That was the last time 1 saw that iron, but the kids still talk about it. ces and council to impose addi- tional cuts in financing on the assampuon “it couldn’: hap- pen here.” TY'e North Shore, and West Vancouver in particular, is reputedly one of the wealth- jest. communities in Canada. We manage to find funding for “the finer things in fife,” bui hospitals, police departments, firefighting departments and the like are nut sufficiently glamorous; not sufficiently high profile tor some people. No doubt these same peo- ple would be the first to protest loud and long if they needed these services in a per- sonal emergency, and surciy in a situation that would result in an earthquake, bridge col- lapse, train crash or mudslide — remember Lions Ray? : know the B.C. govern- ment is a disgrace and inca- pable of handling provincial financing effectively. West Vancouver District Council should avoid the “trickle- down” effect. MLE. Davidson D. Heaton West Vancouver TREATMENT Guaranteed 5 years Family Operated since 1934 Dr. MILES Price PEST CONTROL