This month, of July (eep! July already!) for Self Portrait Challenge the assignment is SKILL. Showing in self portrait format what we are skilled at. For the first week I decided to go with showing off my clothesline skill. Yes my friends (I got that from hearing too many speeches on NPR from John McSame), I'm a champion clothes pinning out champ. Nothing falls off into the dirt weeds grass flowers below.
This year I'm trying harder not to use my dryer to save energy (and not heat up the house during the summer). We do however run each line-dried load through the dryer just on air for a little bit, otherwise we'd have too much Zelda hair on everything. Plus everyone complains about the crunchy towels otherwise, geez, buncha wimps!
According to Project Laundry List, if everyone used a clothesline we could save 6-10% of our energy usage in the US. That's huge! Sure it takes a few extra minutes, but not that much really, and I will confess it feels like a connection across the years to my immediate and further into the past ancestors.
I'm out here every day almost, once or twice in the morning, once in the afternoon. A lot of times I pause to check out the butterflies or hummingbirds.
And I also look over the fence to see what is rustling in the underbrush. Which is usually one of our cats or occasionally Zelda, sometimes it is a wild rabbit or quail though.I don't have many others to compare myself against as far as this clothes pinning thing though. My husband will do it occasionally but he just throws everything over the line, no pins, hoping for the best. At least he's helping, right! I surely do appreciate that. Guess I better teach my two boys how to do it, since they're so interested in all things environmentally friendly that will be my in, not the oh boy it is fun to do chores, that one never seems to work.
go to the library and get the book, "live like Ed". I am forcing Morgan to read it - if she doesn't she can't get her driver's license. Right now its the only thing I can hold over her head.
ReplyDelete:-D eirdre
I'm a master clothesline artist from wayyyyyy back. And yes, it takes more time, but it's also a perfect excuse to take a few minutes to relax while pinning, and enjoy the garden - my clothesline is right next to my veggies. We have a family rule that no one can use the dryer without permission during the clothesline months. Eventually, with snow and cold, we go back to the dryer for winter, but I always look forward to when I can hang my clothes out again in the spring. It's better for the environment and for your clothes. As for crunch towels, my family complains too but oh well, they feel the same after the first use so tough it up! (or think of them as loofahs!) The cat hair thing though, that is a problem sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI hope to have a clothesline in my next house! I hang all my laundry indoors, and use liquid fabric softener to keep things from being crunchy :)
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing I like better than line dried laundry....most of mine is also hung to dry. Thanks for visiting my blog and welcoming me :) I think I'll enjoy this!
ReplyDeleteyes, I hung out the clothes on a line for years and years, even though I did have a dryer. It was enjoyable to see the birds and butterflies. Now I live in a condo and I think you could get a citation in this town, if you put out a clothesline!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I'm inspired to try it myself!
ReplyDeleteI love that first picture Julie. Very funny
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