A little less than a year ago, we became the proud possessors of a very old, yet still functioning, propane clothes dryer. And I was very, very happy. It was the first clothes dryer ever at Blackrock, and it signaled freedom from the laundromat in the winter. I did not miss the laundromat and all the freaks that hang out there this past winter. But I did wonder: Would I become dependent on the dryer? Would I forsake my trusty old clothesline even in summer months in favor of the ease of throwing clothes in the dryer without the inconvenience of hauling heavy, wet clothes up the cellar stairs and clipping them all to the line?
Would I get LAZY?
The answer, I am proud to say, is no. As soon as it was warm enough, I started hanging all my clothes outside again. I haven't used the dryer in months. Sure, the dryer is convenient and I still love it with a great and burning passion in the winter when my only other option is the laundromat, but otherwise . . . I kind of love hanging clothes on the line. Dryers are hard on clothes. You can't shrink anything involuntarily on a clothesline.
There is also the weird but undeniable fact that I get a great feeling of peace and satisfaction seeing the clothes filling the line and flapping in the breeze. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Because I am a nut who revels in domesticity.
And so I remain loyal to my clothesline. At least until it's 40 degrees with a driving rain. And then I'll take up with my dryer again.
I'm fickle like that.
9 comments:
AND you are saving the planet !! wink,wink, nod, nod, say no more.
I used to love it when my step-mom would hang sheets and towels out to dry...they smelled so good. Clothes, honestly, not so much. Too scratchy.
Today it is about 50 degrees here and raining, so I guess I'll use my dryer today (like that would be any different than any other day...)
I've got a brand spanking new dryer in the house and i will be putting it to good use every opportunity i get. *grin*
I'm always wondering how people dry their sheets now that they're almost all 100% cotton. Certain things like the sheets I line-dry year round, either outdoors or indoors on clotheslines in the cellar. When it's really cold in cellar I sometimes use a retractable clothesline in the upstairs hallway in the longstanding tradition of tenement housekeeping.
I love the way clothes/sheets/towels smell after being dried in the sunshine!!
I do worry about birds leaving little presents sometimes though....
I haven't used a clothesline in years due to allergies in the family. I'm still looking for a way to hang clothes better indoors, away from all the pollens.
I wish I could hang my sheets outside. Linen fresh off the line is divine.
Yeah, so I'm working on my, "Hey Bubba, don't you think *this* would be a good place for a clothesline?" speech since I do love that, too.
I just don't think it's going to get much purchase, given the new machine we got that is an all-in-one kinda thing.
We'll see though. I feel like sheets never get perfectly clean until they've been baked on a clothesline by the sun.
*Sniiiiiiiiiiiiiiffffffffffffffaaaaahhhhhh*
I need to get my clothesline back out. I like it, but since it's under a HUGE tree (as is everything here at Chiot's Run) I occationally get gifts from birds on my clothes. Not to mention all the spider, which the cats love to catch & eat. I'm still using my trusty dryer here.
For those that complain of scratchy, if you just throw them in the dryer for a few minutes when you bring them in they're soft. Also adding a bit of vinegar to your rinse water softens them up, also giving them a good snap before and after you have them on the line helps.
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