Thursday, June 24, 2010

it's clothesline time again

I hung out my first load of laundry of the summer on Tuesday and no kidding--it felt fantastic. The summer weather here has been very mild so far, and I truly enjoyed the fresh air and ritual of it. The clothes smell wonderful when they come off the line, and it is so much more inspiring to fold things in the out-of-doors as I take them off the line rather than indoors after they have (frankly) sat in the laundry basket for several days, cluttering up our couch. I still have to be conscious to close the loop by putting the freshly folded clothes away asap, even with the outdoor-dried clothes.
Do you remember this little fabric bucket? It was the first one I attempted. I'm happy to report it's still in full service, now as a clothespin holder. It gives me great satisfaction to see that the things I make are actually useful and serviceable in the family. I just pin it to the line and pull out or return clothespins as needed.
The clothesline is situated adjacent to the sandbox so I can watch Rainer playing while I hang out the clothes. I love that.
Laundry--freshly dried and folded, ready to be put away. A summer simple pleasure.

16 comments:

nocton4 said...

happy days xx

Our Green Nest said...

Love our clothesline too!! :) I def need a clothespin bag like yours though...

Joy said...

I wish our neighborhood didn't ban clotheslines. I miss having one. We've enjoyed it at the beach this week. Love seeing all your pretty things hanging on the line. :)

Aimee said...

in the first photo, is that a white pillowcase with patchwork squares?? It's so lovely..I would love to know what it is! :)

Mary Beth said...

Hi Aimee. It's a patchwork towel: http://saltandchocolate.blogspot.com/2007/08/patchwork-towels.html
I really need to make myself some more though, because mine are super faded. Thanks for asking!

Chris said...

yeah - fresh clothes on the clothesline! i love that, too. my son loves too run through the slightly damp sheets and tablecloths. drives me a little crazy, but what a summertime pleasure!

Fiona said...

Hi Mary Beth,

Hanging out the washing on a summer's day is certainly a pleasure. We hang out our washing year round here because it never gets really cold and lots of people (including us) still don't have dryers in Ireland. Last winter was very cold though and a quick dash to the line and back was neccessary :)

Mommy, I'm Home said...

Love clothes on the line too!

barbara said...

we live in nyc and as long as it's above freezing my clothes are on the line. laundry is a bit of an obsession of mine. i love making my own detergent and i actually miss cloth diapers. looking out the window and seeing all of those prefolds lined up and blowing in the breeze. sigh.
now if i could just learn to love ironing that much;o)

Mary Beth said...

Thanks for all the clothesline love everyone. It is very heartening to know that I am not the only one with such weird passions!

Fiona--same here--it never really gets that cold. It's still a summertime pleasure for me though, since work gets in the way during the year.

Kristin said...

Look at that view! I would hang my clothes too. Given the vegetation, I bet it dries in a snap.

Mary Beth said...

Kristin--Yes! It's very dry here so the clothes are dry before we know it. It's truly satisfying with the heavy items, which would normally take so long in the dryer.

Lisa Renata said...

So jealous. I can't dry hang anything outdoors. Both my little ones and I are allergic to pollen, grass-you name it (lucky hubby he is the only one that is not)-and where we live well, we have lots of it.

Nicola said...

The scenes look so like our garden, right down to the same dump truck. Thank you for letting me glimpse your life and mine at the same time!
Nicola

julie said...

Jut need to say, every time I hang the washing now, which is a new activity for me, I think of this post and it doesn't feel like a chore anymore.
I find you very inspiring and real, unlike many mommy blogs out there who sound so holier-than-thou. I get inspired by your food, sewing and parenting.
Thank you :)

Mary Beth said...

Julie--thanks so much for your kind words! I'm glad I sound down to earth because that is what's in my heart. I don't like the blogs that seem to make everything so perfect either. I just like to keep it real and also positive, which is what I try to do in my life as well as my blog . . .