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The Joy of Little Things
This one may sound a little weird
Sometimes going back to the old ways is deeply joyful.
The clothes dryer is a great invention, I’ll be the first one to admit. Just like the washing machine sure beats beating clothes on rocks, the dryer is so much easier. Dryer sheets or fabric softener comes in a myriad of scents, including “fresh scent.” That’s supposed to mimic the smell of clothes dried on the line outside. That’s a scent we all love, mostly from memories, if you’re old enough.
And clothes driers prevent “freeze drying” clothes, i.e., hanging them out on the line in freezing temperatures. I never had to do it; in the winter, my mother always had clothes lines in the basement, so she could hang them there to dry. Then, at some point she got a dryer, and it seemed like Heaven. I started my housekeeping with a laundromat, then progressed to owning my own washer and dryer.
My first apartment had a clothes line, and I used it in the summer to save money. We lived on the second floor, and the line was on a pulley attached to the house and the garage. It was a long line. The main disadvantage, of course, was if I dropped something. It was a long stairway to pick up a clothes pin.
The house I lived in for twelve years and raised my kids to ages 11 and 14 had a clothes line. I used…
