How'd That Clothesline Work Out For You This Year?

Posted @ Dec. 22 2011 05:29AM by Bob Carey - home-garden

Clothes lines to dry laundry are so mid-century that most folks would be embarrassed to admit even thinking about having one at their home.

I actually had one on my list of "good ideas" at the beginning of the year but didn't have the guts to go toe to toe with my wife about it until the rains came.

Rain turned out to be the referee and arbiter for the purchase of one of those umbrella devices that hangs a bunch of clothes in a fairly small space.

The third floor that went ankle deep in our basement, also put the clothes dryer out of commission at a point where I had no inclination to replace it quickly. Instead, I used the opportunity to buy a kit from a local hardware store and thought myself pretty clever in solving the problem and checking off my 2011, "Get off the Grid" list of household changes.

We could do laundry any day of the week, I suppose, but as a practical matter; it happens on the weekends. The weekends this past year weren't doing anyone any favors unless you were in business to sell sump pumps. I cannot recall more than three good drying days the entire summer.

Because hope springs eternal and because rain springs up on its own schedule, I didn't buy a dryer and we ended up draping clothes all around the house hoping the A/C would do the job. When I finally decided to stop assuming that this rain would be the last rain, I found a GREAT deal on a fabulous dryer for about a third of the regular cost. On getting my prize home, any expectation of even modest praise for my thriftiness was dashed when it didn't fit through the basement door (another story in itself!).

As modern folks, we can probably mark the end of our empathy with our farmer brethren when clothes dryers became affordable and could be delivered for a small additional fee. Even as a gardener though, it's easier to work around weather in the lawn and flowers than it was to find a few hours of suitable dry time.

However, I'm still determined to distance myself from the grid of human creature comforts and convenience to save money and live more in sync with how we were designed to live. The raised garden bed was a real winner for me this year, and the veggies it produced helped me stay sleek and heart-healthy until the Halloween candy hit the shelves.

I hear many high end condos and hotels in Hawaii don't have air-conditioning - YEAH! They depend instead on the comforting effect of the Trade Winds. I'm wondering what environmental disaster will present an opportunity to chuck the air conditioners and replace them with window fans with trade wind comfort?