The Clothes Line

Years ago I begged for a clothes line (yeah, I did). If you're rolling your eyes right now, it doesn't phase me because that's the response I got from The Cowboy back then. I practically had to present a detailed research report estimating the total savings we could boast by not using the dryer. I don't remember the actual figure I shot at him, but it must have been impressive because he put up a clothes line!! Not only that, but he bought me an antique clothes pin bag filled with old wooden clothes pins. I had to sew a new bag for it, which made me feel so industrious--like Mama Walton.

I realize that if I HAD to dry clothes on a line because we couldn't afford a dryer, I'd be pouting and whining, "Whyyyy can't we have a dryer? It would only cost $$$ a year to use iiiiiit. sniff sniff" Am I high-maintence? I didn't think so till now.

I love the smell of sunshine on our clothes. There is a strong sense of safisfaction that hits me after I've washed all the laundry and hung it all out on the line. I look back at the clothes swaying in the breeze and think to myself, "I love my family---look at what a good woman I am." hahaha

A cousin emailed this to me a couple years ago (I know you'll appreciate it):

Last Century's Wash - Day Instructions
Years ago a Kentucky grandmother gave a new bride the following recipe
for washing clothes.

This is exactly as written and preserved in an old scrap book (with
spelling intact).

1. Bilt fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water.

2. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert.

3. Shave one hole cake of lie soap in bilin water.

4. Sort things, make 3 piles. 1 pile white, 1 pile colored, 1 pile
work britches and rags.

5. To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down
with bilin water.

6. Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and then
bile. Rub colored don't bile, just rinch and starch.

7. Take things out of kettle with broomstick handle, then rinch, and
starch.

8. Hang old rags on fence.

9. Spread tea towels on grass.

10. Pore rinch water in flower bed.

11. Scrub porch with hot soapy water.

12. Turn tubs upside down.

13. Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs. Brew cup of
tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.


Wash day --- hard work back then!! No wonder they didn't have very many articles of clothing. More clothes = more laundry. My old house has only 5 closets. 2 are approximately 40" wide by 72" tall by 12" deep. The other 3 are about half as tall. You might wonder how we can tolerate so little closet space. We filled those closets to the brim and have chests and dressers filled to the brim. There is a bright side to having limited storage space: you can't bring home as much as you want 'cause you can only hold so much. There's probably some deep philosophical lesson there---I don't know; too deep for me.

Anyway, I'm counting my blessings.

Let me know if you want me to make a clothes pin bag for you like my antique one. I'm taking orders.