You may recall an earlier post on the subject of Grawlix.
The meaning of this word is the use of symbols (for example, *%!#$&!), to indicate the use of salty language without actually being offensive. I had occasion to reach for this word again today.
See what I mean? This is, or was, my trusty steam iron. Getting elderly, no longer immaculate as to sole plate and needing to be decalcified a lot more frequently than before, but still reliable. Except today. I was pressing curtain fabric. Yes, I’ve finally started making curtains for Miz Lizzie the caravan, and the fabric is exceedingly wrinkly from being folded up and stashed away. I set the iron down on its heel and turned away to pick up the next piece when I saw it s l o w l y toppling towards the edge of the ironing board. Well, normally you’d lunge for the toppling item and rescue it, but this is a steam iron in use, remember, and the minute I started my lunge the brain went “Ding ding ding, it’ll be boiling hot, you moron”. So I had to stand and watch as it hit the floorboards with a loud smack, exploded into several pieces and boiling hot water poured out. The next thing I lunged for was the power switch. Luckily I have everything plugged into surge-protected power boards at waist level, so I didn’t have to grovel in the hot water to reach the plug, a fine recipe for electrocution.
So I spent about an hour doing online comparisons of various steam irons, and am now the proud owner of a nice new one, with a bigger water tank, a power cord 3m/10ft long, automatic cut-off when not used for 3 minutes, and best of all, a ceramic sole plate that I can scrub clean without damage. It’s such an excellent all round improvement that I feel the need to unveil my latest motto.
Accident? What accident? I needed a new iron!
talltalesfromchiconia 
**!!@2%%%%!!!!!!!!! ❤
My thoughts exactly!
🙂
Well, things happens. Isn´t that the right thing to say now? 🙂
They do happen, and the result is good 🙂
🙂
I have often made a lunge for carving knifes as they slide off the magnetic holder – it’s a wonder I still have any fingers left.
Some people would find it hard to get excited about a new iron but I’m on your side 🙂
I think quilters spend *good* quality time with their irons, as opposed to people who only de-wrinkle their clothes. I’m particularly excited by the ceramic plate and the standby mode…
I had a major freak-out a few years ago, when my iron died suddenly with no warning. I wasn’t on deadline for anything, so it wasn’t as much of a crisis as I felt, but … MY IRON!!! 😉
I know! It’s a tiny bereavement, having a reliable and indispensable tool suddenly taken away.
knifes??
Knives….
It was a typo. I could never understand though, why the plural of roof isn’t rooves – that’s just silly. *
I have a ceramic plate and a standby mode – at least my iron does – and it’s just as well as I’m forever ironing straight onto fusible interfacing and leaving the room ‘just for a second’ and returning an hour later to find the iron still on
* Just found this – The plural of roof is roofs or rooves. “Rooves” is an older form of the word and rarely used these days. Australian children right up to the 1980s, for example, were brought up with the word “rooves” rather than roofs, and it is still an accepted form in Australia today (though uncommon).
I know we definitely SAY rooves here. I agree, though, that one plural that’s irregular is daft. Hoof, knife, dwarf, leaf, all follow the ‘ves’ plural.
Congrats on the new iron! The only thing that I wish mine hadn’t is the automatic cut-off time. When quilting, I like to keep the thing on, because I need it about every 10 minutes, but if it turns itself off every time after 8 minutes of non-use, you have to wait again. This has already led to several &$//&§=% moments around here.
I’m going to like it, because being on the whole time made the plastic on my old one very brittle and crazed, which is why it broke when it fell. I can live with the 45 seconds it takes to come up to heat again!
That 45 seconds of heat-up time is good for stretching and changing your focal length for your vision. It’s a good thing, not a bad thing. 🙂
True. A moment of contemplation… I can gaze out of the window and watch the birds while I wait for the light to go from red to green.
Mine has an automatic turnoff, I like it as it only takes seconds to reheat and at least if (or rather when!) I forget to turn it off it’s not the end of the world 🙂 I once went away for a weekend and left an iron on…
Oh, scary! I’ve left mine on for an afternoon a couple of times – one reason I now have all the switches high up – I can press one button and everything’s off at once.
Totally on purpose 😅 and a brand new iron is exciting 😊
I tell myself it was just as well it took a nosedive, otherwise one of these days it would have just crumbled in my hand and electrocuted me! That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it…
Your new motto is excellent, all-purpose one. It reminds me of the little maneuver people do when they start to trip in public and then speed up the next few steps as if they were in a very brief hurry.
Or when a cat crashes into something and then saunters very, very casually away as if it had been a party trick they were practising 🙂 But it’s a motto that applies particularly well to quilting. It’s not a mistake, it’s an artistic experiment/an antidote to excessive perfection, etc.
May we be so kind to ourselves that we ask every mistake if it wants to be an experiment or antidote.
Both excellent options!
Well that is one way to get a new iron 😀 I was so happy when I finally got a new one. Enjoy!
I shall – and I didn’t even have to fling the old one out, it committed self-immolation!
That’s the best way. 😀 this way you don’t have to feel guilty for getting rid of it 😀
Exactly!
Darn it! My iron died last week and I now have a new one…I was stunned at the selection out there…too many to choose from.
I went to the website of one of our large electrical retailers; they have a comparison matrix where you can enter the features you want and it’ll show you the available models that match. I went for the one with the best shape, the longest cord and the lowest weight, as well as the features (and the price!) I wanted. Its only downside is that it’s an ugly colour…
Weight is a huge factor for me anymore!
Oh, for sure. If you have to haul a heavy iron, it makes the task twice as hard and my right hand is arthritic enough without needing any extra help to be sore!
I sooooooooo agree!
Congratulations! 😀
Thank goodness you didn’t make a grab for it. Enjoy the new one… ceramic plate and everything.
True! It would have put paid to sewing, and in a very bad way. This way, I had to pick up the pieces, but with a sense of gratitude for a nasty accident averted.
Excellent motto!
I think so too! I have several, for different occasions, but this the one that fit the situation best!
At least you are ok, & now you can buy a new iron without feeling guilty. When I dropped mine I burnt my foot. That was a couple of years ago, I still have a triangular burn mark!
Ouch! Yes, I’m grateful mine decided to end it all while I was out of striking distance!
Love the motto! I bought a new iron a couple of years ago after mine when crazy and burned me with a burst of steam…the choices are indeed staggering, and I was quite surprised that I ended up with one of the least expensive ones. I brought it home and DH said it looked like a space ship….🚀
Mine’s not too space age, but it does have a nice pointy nose and the steam holes aren’t too big, which always produces a good press 🙂
Happiness in iron land!
Kate, you’ve brought to mind an event I had forgotten. When I was about 14 my mother plugged in her Sunbeam iron, turned her back for a moment and when she looked again the whole bottom plate had MELTED! It was very Dali-esque. She got a new iron too. 😉 Glad you stopped yourself from trying to catch yours. That would have been sad!
Wow! It must have been incredibly and comprehensively defective for that to happen. You and your mother are both pretty lucky she survived the experience!
I’d never seen it before, and thankfully have never seen or heard of one doing that since. I do know that the iron was rather old. 😯
I have to steal your new motto, it’s just so good. I wish you happy days with your new iron 🙂
I’ll email it to you 🙂
The motto, that is, not the iron 😉
Oh My!! When I first saw the pic before reading your post my first thought was that it had exploded!! I’ve dropped a few in my time but luckily they’ve stayed in one piece! 😯
It did kind of explode when it hit the deck… The plastic was all brittle and crazed from all the heat it’s put out over the years, and this was a nosedive too far
I did not enjoy my last iron-purchasing experience. I wanted exactly the same model that died on me. It was not to be. I’ve adjusted to this new one but I’m still not as happy with it as with the previous version. Glad you’re happy with your new acquisition. I do love your new motto!
Reminds me of my kettle and toaster. Both were a very reputable European brand, and both were super-fast at their job. The toaster went “bang!” one day, and that was it. I couldn’t replace it and I couldn’t get it repaired. The kettle, however, is now well over 15 years old and is *still* faster than a new model. I will weep salty tears the day it gives up!
Definitely a look on the bright side moment. But at least the replacement is worthy. I had to replace a 30+ year old food processor and have yet to find a successor of it’s equal.
I think it’s the case that when something is first introduced, they make it super-sturdy to create a favourable impression. Over the years the thing gets down-engineered till the current generation is a mere shadow of its former self. What I’d *really* like is to be able to personalise the features of any appliance I buy to fit my own requirements.
Oh, I’d LOVE that!
Oh no! I HATE when that happens! The bright side is definitely a new iron❤️❤️
And the iron is definitely a huge improvement 🙂