After years of watching enviously while my neighbor hung her laundry out to dry, I made a trip to our friendly neighborhood Ace Hardware and bought my own umbrella-style clothes drier. Mr Ether graciously installed it for me, and I hung up my first load of laundry this afternoon.Not only has my neighbor had a clothes line, but last week I noticed that she has a special apron that she wears, with big pockets to keep the clothes pins right at her fingertips. My jealousy knew no bounds! So yesterday, while I waited for the first load of wash to finish cycling, I sewed a clothes pin apron. You'd better believe it, bub. It's like a carpenters' apron, only girly. My own design. You can see it hanging there to the right of the tie-dye.
Woo hoo. Some people really know how to have a good time!
In case you didn't know, automatic clothes driers are the most energy wasteful appliance in the house. And while other appliances -- washing machines, refrigerators, etc. -- have been engineered in recent years to be more energy efficient, there is really nothing that can be done to improve driers.
Fortunately, we have those stalwart alternatives -- solar and wind power -- that do an excellent job, cost nothing (except the price of a clothes line apparatus and some clothes pins) and leave your garments smelling fresh as a daisy.
I know that some communities have "covenants" that forbid things like clothes lines and compost bins. If you live in one of those places, this is your chance to practice nonviolent resistance. Become an outlaw! Put up a clothes line! What can they do -- foreclose on your mortgage? Put you in the stocks? Send you to Gitmo?
(You can also go here to buy a folding drying rack, which doesn't hold as much, but it works.)
Today, a clothes line. Tomorrow, backyard chickens!
12 comments:
How do I love Suzy?
Let me count the ways...
Great books,
Wisdom and knowledge
Quaker peace
Earth friendly
Clothesline hanger
Back yard chicken planner
xoxoxoxox
I love Suzy a lot.
Thanks, dear.
Why do you hate America? If Americans don't burn fossil fuels to dry their clothes, the terrists have already won!
Nicely installed, though, don't you think? I don't think I've ever seen a more elegantly installed umbrella-style clothes drier.
When clothes lines are outlawed, only outlaws will wear dry clothes.
Suzy, I am so proud of you!! I love clotheslines and luckily live in TX where it is sunny almost everyday--perfect for clotheslines.
Go to my blog and you'll even see a label entitled "clothesline."
You go girl.
Hi Suzy,
I really enjoyed this post! I learned something about dryers, but it also reminded me of my mom. In 1970 she started to hang the laundry out in the backyard. The neighbor wrote us a letter (!) saying that she didn't want to be forced to look at our undergarments flapping in the breeze.
Crayons, ha. What did Sally do? Not capitulate, I hope. My mom would probably have dyed all her undergarments bright pink, so they'd really show up.
Progress and progressives march onward. Clothes lines are great!
That clothesline is a work of art!
We've been using indoor racks for years. My boys both have allergies, and we found that outdoor drying makes them worse (the allergies, not the boys). Airborne pollen sticks to the clothes and then they breathe it in. All day. Not good.
(Lucky you don't have a neighborhood association like some of our local developments do, or they'd threaten to throw you in the hoosegow for this.)
Dave, I admit I artfully arranged it for the photo so that the cool shirts were on the outside (and my SpongeBob undies are not visible. Tee hee.)
And btw, QD -- that's an interesting tidbit about allergies and outdoors drying. I never thought about that possibility.
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