I grew up hanging clothes outside to dry on a clothesline on all but the rainiest stormiest days. It was a routine summer chore for our family of five–there was almost always a load or two a day to wash and hang outside, then to gather in and fold into piles before the air and clothes grew moist with evening dew. I would bury my little girl face in the pile of stiff towels and crispy sheets to breathe in the summer breezes–still apparent when pulled from the linen closet days later.
On our farm here, we have a clothesline that we use as often as possible to make use of that solar and wind power drying system.
I’ve discovered modern bath towels are not meant for clothesline drying–they are too plush, requiring the fluffing of a dryer to stay soft and pliant. On the clothesline they dry like sandpaper, abrasive and harsh. I heard a few complaints about that from my tender-skinned children. I decided it is good for us all to wake up to a good buffing every morning, smoothing out our rough edges, readying us for the day.
We live in a part of the county up on an open hill with lots of windy spells, but those breezes carry interesting smells from the surrounding territory that the drying laundry absorbs like a sponge. On the good days, it may be smells of blooming clover from the fields or the scent of apple and pear blossoms during a few spring weeks. On other differently-fragranced days, local manure spreading or wood stove burning results in an earthy odor that serves as a reminder of where we live. It isn’t all sunshine and perfume all the time–it can be smoke and poop as well.
The act of hanging up and gathering in the laundry remains an act of faith for me. It is trusting, even on the cloudy or chilly days, that gravity and wind and time will render all dry and fresh. And thanks to those line-dried bed sheets and those sandpaper bath towels, I’ll surely end up buffed and smoothed, my rough edges made plain.
Hankerings 