Happy Earth Day ..... a few days late

In honor of Earth Day, this past Monday I hung sheets out on the clothes line instead of throwing them in the dryer like I usually do.(see picture below) I must say, the sheets and pillow cases never smelled so fresh ! Now, this concept isn't new to my mother , who hasn't used a dryer (or dish washer ) for at least the past 25 years. When we were all still living at home, she used both of these appliances, but when they pooped out, she never bothered to get them fixed, and never saw the need to buy new ones. She says its only she and Dad , so what does she need a dryer or dishwasher for? ...and, besides, she has always said there's nothing like the fresh smell of laundry that has dried outside on a clothesline. Actually, even when we (kids ) were still living at home, she didn't use the dryer all of the time -- I know this because I remember my mother yelling " Mary Anne it's starting to rain, come help me get the clothes off the line !!!! And I also remember helping her get the frozen sheets off the line in the winter -- stiff as a board! Now, my mother wasn't the only one who would hang clothes out to dry -- all the moms in the neighborhood did -- I didn't mind too much until I was about 13 or 14 and I realized there, hanging on our clothesline for all the world to see were our family's "gotchies" (Slovak grandma's word for underwear) --- yep -- all parading down the length of the clothesline --- my underwear, my sister's underwear, my brother's underwear, my mother's "briefs" and George's boxers (aka Dad) . JEEZE !! HOW EMBARRASSING !!! Anyhow, when I had my first apartment my senior year of college, I decided to string a clothesline across my front porch (which faced the parking lot). One beautiful spring day , I did my laundry and hung my clothes out to dry in the breeze (not my gotchies, though, -- I draw the line with public display of my gotchies) -- Later that day, my boyfriend (now husband) dropped by and ducked under and around my laundry to get to the front door of my apartment. The first thing he said was -- "what are you doing with your laundry -- this looks like a tenement ! " At the time I was mortified that people would think I'm such a hick -- and that curtailed my laundry hanging out for many, many years. I guess I didn't hang laundry out again until after our oldest son was born, and we bought our first house. But, busy-ness with work, kids, activities, etc, etc, etc, made me take the fastest laundry route - that being throwing stuff in the dryer for speed and convenience sake. But, this past Monday was such a perfect, sunny, breezy day, I couldn't resist stripping all the beds , washing the sheets and pillow cases, and hanging them out on the line. Too bad that work schedules, and Mother Nature don't cooperate more often so that I could do this on a regular basis (and do my teeny, tiny part to help save the planet ? -- I hope!)

(P.S. -- look, look at the top picture of my pretty flowers !!! I FINALLY have something blooming in my yard !) -- of course these pictures posted backwards -- I wanted the clothesline picture where the flower picture is .... oh well!

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)