LHTs and underwear-ironing

In a week that has really needed some, here are my latest Little Happy Things :

• Charles Finch’s Charles Lenox mystery novels. Stumbled upon the first one, A Beautiful Blue Death, and quickly got lost in 1860s upper-crust England. As the series’s debut novel, I found a few things that bugged me, but nothing that kept me from enjoying it. This is not the murder-every-chapter type of mystery. It’s more a hot-tea-in-front-of-the-fire whodunit. An easy read and good characters to get caught up in. If you are missing your fix of lords and ladies with proper manners and servant-managed estates, this might help tide you over until the next season of Downton Abbey (sadly not showing in the U.S. until January). Yesterday I started reading the second one, The September Society.
• Green Tea. My allergies seem to be acting up. Something about green tea really helps when I have the sniffles. It’s like a magical nostril-stopper-upper. Delightful, eh.
• Pyramid Apricot Ale. Deliciousness from the Pacific Northwest.
• New underwear. Pretty panties make everyone feel good, right? (This brings to mind a quote by the character Warrick Brown on an old CSI episode: “there’s something so heartbreaking about a woman with raggedy drawers.” Indeed, Warrick.) However, one pair did make me laugh, and then, after some thought, caused me to knit my brows. Checking the washing instructions, I noticed the tag advised “Warm iron if desired.” Haha, right? But, OK, wait, does this mean there is someone out there who IRONS THEIR UNDERWEAR? Frankly, I don’t see why anyone would “desire” to do that, but particularly on a pair that is red and sheer (…have I said too much?…), as though your significant other might get distracted by wrinkles? Really?! Have I missed something? Fess up, ladies. If you are ironing your sexy panties, please tell me why. I really need to know.