Ironing, Baseball, and Just How Hot Is It!

This may be the first days of summer with global warming and all that, but no days have ever seemed hotter than those last spring days of high school.  I would dress appropriately for the day, had to wear a skirt, had to wear a blouse with sleeves, had to wear hose, thought I had to wear a girdle to hold up the hose. 

Even with the large windows wide open in the older section of Coventry High School, it was still pretty warm; and in the newer sections, it was worse with less ventilation.  I can remember the sweat trickling down my face while taking a test and leaving droplets on my paper.  After leaving my mostly not air-conditioned classrooms to head for home, I would board the blazing hot bus where the leather seats would stick to my body for the ride home.  I would then clump into my equally not air-conditioned house to find my mom ironing in front of the tv.  Yep, ironing. 

Mom would set up the ironing board in front of the tv with a stool to perch on and watch the Cleveland Indians' games.  She loved baseball, especially the Indians, and would save her ironing to do in the afternoons so she could watch the games.  Once I had changed clothes and flopped in the shade somewhere, I would begin to cool off but I could still hear the distinctive noise of a baseball game on tv.  Nothing else sounds like that.  And the only thing worse in my teenage opinion was the sound of a baseball game on the radio. 

We lived in an old farm house surrounded by huge trees and eventually the evening would cool off and the house would fill with light filtered breezes.  Many an evening I fell asleep with wide open windows and the rustling branches as a lullaby. 

Now there is air conditioning everywhere; and when briefly we were without, my husband had a true conniption fit.  But I opened the windows and let the fan pull the breezes into the bedroom and drifted off with no complaints.  Also now I understand my mom's fascination with the boys of summer.  Having watched Kai play since T-ball, I've learned a great deal about baseball and can cheer and moan and groan with the rest of the crowd.  I actually missed Kai's game last night for a Quilt Guild meeting, and he hit a three run triple!  I am sorry not to have seen it, but delighted that he hit it.  When I turn on basesball, it's most likely the college world series of softball or baseball or maybe the Little League World Series.  But I don't save my ironing to accompany the watching.  Let's face it, the only time I iron is when I'm quilting.