I don't iron much anymore, but I learned how early. We had an old flat iron that had two inserts. The handle clamped over one when it was hot while the other waited on the wood stove. They were shaped like pointy ovals and weighed a lot for a kid of 7, 8 or 9.

We always hung our clothes outside. Mom had a washboard and had to do all of the laundry by hand. She had a wringer that clamped on the side of her washtub. Later, when we got electricity, she got a wringer type washer. She was pretty happy with that.

I remember my sister's diapers coming in from the clothesline in January stiff with ice and standing in the sink to thaw.

And this was in 1955!