Wednesday, January 14, 2009

My first blog - the clothesline as inspiration

Today it's sunny and 85 degrees with low humidity and a light breeze.

What.
You don't need a San Diego weather update? Actually, the reason I chose to write my first blog is because I wanted to share the moment of inspiration that hit me when I was hanging my clothes out to dry this morning.

As I stood there surrounded by fresh morning air and birds chirping, I wondered: Why would anyone choose to use an automatic clothes dryer on a day like this one?

To me, there is no option. Actually, I must be nuts because I plan my laundry days around the sun. Well... the "planning" goes more like this: I wake up in the morning and if the sun is out I know I should throw a load in the washer (which is solar-powered too). It's too easy. Sometimes I do it at night if I know the next day will be busy for me. I just hang my clothes out overnight and collect them the next day.

The rewards of line-drying are many:

  • First, it gets me outside even more.
  • It's great for my wallet (or purse, rather).
  • I get to listen to birds singing instead of a machine working.
  • The smell, the SMELL! Sleeping under a blanket that's been line-dried is an experience in-and-of itself. It has a wonderful, earthy smell that's hard to describe and impossible to replicate with dryer sheets.
  • No more mysteriously shrinking clothes and a lot less wear & tear.
  • And most importantly - it makes me feel good.

The only drawback that I have noticed with line-drying is that it takes some time to set the clothes out. Maybe an extra 3 minutes or so. The luxury of throwing the clothes into the machine is gone. But, really, I feel like I am surrounded by luxuries every day (like this handy computer, for instance). It's nice to go back to the basics and to do things a la grandma.

So my first blog ends like this: I felt like I had a moment of inspiration with the clothes and the birds and figured I should start typing these moments up so that my kids can make fun of me about it one day.

Hey - if you have any questions about setting up a clothesline, I am more than happy to help. I like the retractable ones, because they're out of sight when you're not using them. They are available at your standard big-box home improvement centers. I got mine online, but that's because they weren't available in the stores until about a year ago. I guess this is one of the items they decide to stock during a recession.

2 comments:

  1. 85degree,ocean breeze,and sun to power your washer and then clothesline drying outdoors...all seem like an utopian living!!!Most americans have to be amazed with envy considering the extreme cold weather during that time pretty much everywhere except Miami and Hawaii! uncle john

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  2. We are very lucky, indeed. It goes fully appreciated too, never taken for granted!

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