Hanging laundry on an outside clothesline. That was one of my favorite things to do when my children were little. It is something I haven’t done for many years.
The fact that my clothes lines are nestled in the shade of our tall oak trees is partly to blame. The clothes take a long time to dry. The lack of time because I was working full time is partly to blame. Then of course I was working full time, going to college and raising three kids. That is definitely partly to blame. Let’s see. Laziness is partly to blame. It is much quicker to pop that clothing into the electric dryer sitting next to the washing machine. For whatever reason, for many years I got away from hanging my laundry on my outside clothesline. But lately I’ve been making the treck outside every time the weather cooperates. It has become one of my favorite simple pleasures.
I love the fresh outdoor scent! I know, that sounds like a commercial, but it is true. And I love feeling that maybe I am actually doing something good for our environment for a change.
Another of my simple pleasure is working outside.
I especially like working outside when we work together.
In December, 2007, we had a deadly ice storm in Missouri. Trees were downed in just about any direction you could look. Our place looked like a war zone. And two years later we are still cleaning up the fallen and dead trees.
Yesterday was a perfect day for tackling the job. We’ve had a lot of rain these past few weeks and the wind wasn’t blowing, so we could safely build a fire. And we had help! Travis and Dakota were spending a few days with us. Of course we put them to work. We’re no dummies!
Even with a broken hand, Travis hauled a lot of wood to the pile. We managed the larger logs by him taking one end and me the other. It is amazing what can be accomplished when there are two working as one. We had to burn many logs because they had lain in the field so long, they were full gummy and full of bugs. So sad.
Dakota was a big help. It was amazing how much better he worked once we got the fire going. Somehow it is just a lot more fun to throw a branch on a burning fire, rather than on just a wood pile. I haven’t figured that out yet, but I know it is true!
Back and forth and back and forth… I was worn out watching them from my out of the way perch on a big rock.
Never fear. There was some good wood left to saw up for next winter’s fires in the wood stove. And this is the tip of the iceberg. We have tons of wood left to deal with.
Life is good! What is one of your simple pleasures?
17 comments:
Just being outside in general. Listening to the sounds of nature, smelling its scents, and knowing that I'm part of it.
Wow you did have alot of trees to clean up and what nice help you had, that will be a happy memory for them and one day they will be sitting around and saying remember when we helped grandma and grandpa clean up and burn those trees :o)
I love hanging clothes on the line and I love the smell also, we have trees too but with the hotter weather we have been having they have no problem drying. My daughter says we look like the beverly hillbillies with clothes on the line (young folks are funny) Im like you also I get a good feeling about doing something good for the environment.
I hope you are having a wonderful week! hugsss
Boys love fire, lol!!!
Simple pleasure.........I love snuggling with The Bella and reading to her. Having her love books like I do really makes me happy!
I have a cloth line on my screened in deck. I love hanging cloths there.
I can remember when that was the only way we had to dry cloths. And if your neighbor was gone and had cloths on the line when I sudden rain came up you took them off the line for them. Times were different then and neighbors lived closer. Thanks for the memories.
the photo of the clothesline back behind the purple irises is really neat!
Love having trees on our property too, but it always means clean up in the springtime from all the small branches that break off from winter's snow.
Di
Loved the pics. It's nice to see everyone working together. I think fire has a natural attraction.
I used to hang clothes on the line, and then the neighbor just down the street bought an outside furnace and the smoke comes over this way a lot. And then there are the birds (who nest in all of those birdhouses my Dad has up all over the place--you know the ones) who liked to dive bomb my clothes, and at the moment, the yellow-green tree pollen is everywhere. Allergies and pollen don't go well together.
Simple pleasures? One of mine is reading your blog entries and looking at all of your pics. :)
I know the boys had a great time out there. I love seeing them pitch in and help with physical work. Being in the city there isn't that much of that need around here. I know it is good for them and wish I had more for them to do I believe it does nothing but teach them good values of taking part in working to help others. Thank you for watching them and teaching them all the good things you and Dad teach them.
One of my greatest pleasures is being outside with my family and seeing them enjoy the outdoors like I did as a kid.
good the boys were so helpful with clearing some of the wood; I'm sure they did enjoy watching the fire and making it grow
There is something about the smell of freshly dried clothes outside, isn't it? growing up we always put the clothes out on the clothesline. Now I just hang up our casual clothes and dry the rest of things.
simple pleasures - walking a corgi pup :)
betty
I understand the boys loving to work at the brush pile fire. I love our brush pile and can hardly wait to burn. The smell of a spring or fall brush pile burning in the country is one of my simple pleasures. I remember the '07 ice storm only too well. It took a huge toll on our trees too. And we also love being outside, better out than in and out all day if possible with lunch under the oaks at the picnic table. Another simple pleasure :) Your pictures are great Deanna and I love this post. We are so lucky to live in the country.
I won't mistake those purple things for flowers this time! But don't you think a half dozen eternity balls is ...enough?
Your blog layout is simply awesome! I enjoy what you've done with your excellent kodak moment shots!
And wow... even with a broken hand Travis was helping ya out. He's an impressive young man.
Wishing you luck in the flag giveaway.
Oh, and let me just say how much I love your pups' faces in your header.
Di
The Blue Ridge Gal
Oh, yes, I hung out the wash this morning on a crystal clear day! Love it and love the smell when I take it down and fold it!
I'll post a link to the NYT blog with all the pictures as soon as they put one up!
Don't you still have all the pollen on everything? I wondered about the clothes.
I love to sit by the pond and listen to the waterfall.
You are really going to have to come by soon!
We cut down the last of the dead ice storm trees, an old pine that had been so nice.
I no longer have clothes lines. The wild cherry tree, flowering locust and Cedar trees over took them. Not good to hang clothes under those trees. Hubby cut them down a few months ago. SO if I need to hang big quilts to dry, I drive to my neighbors and borrow hers!
WE too still have down timber from the storm a year or two ago.
My mother had a LONG clothes - line at the ole place where i grew up.Hell we didn't have hot running water, we had a cold water faucet and if you wanted hot water it had to be heated on the gas stove.Washing clothes was a full days work for her.I remember in the late fall she would hang them out and it would turn cold and they would freese stiff.It was like lugging in slabbs of boards. lol... In the fall most all good hunters would take what they intended to wear hunting and go hang in them in a ceder tree for a week before the season opened. This would kill most all human sent.Ahh the good Ole days..Thanks for the memories.Ya Pal JR Hugs u.
Deanna, I wanted to send you an e-mail but could not locate your e-mail address on your blog or on your profile page. :-((
Di
The Blue Ridge Gal
The boys have pyromania in their blood. Remember Grandpa Haslag?
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