{"id":18786,"date":"2011-10-16T06:00:05","date_gmt":"2011-10-16T10:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/?p=18786"},"modified":"2015-01-19T22:41:37","modified_gmt":"2015-01-20T03:41:37","slug":"my-green-clothesline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/2011\/10\/16\/my-green-clothesline\/","title":{"rendered":"Back-in-Time Clothesline"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I have good news and bad news.<\/p>\n

The good news<\/strong><\/em> is that I now have a clothesline and I love it.\u00c2\u00a0 I love the wicker basket, the canvas pin bag and the wooden spring clothespins.\u00c2\u00a0 I love spending\u00c2\u00a0 extra time outdoors.\u00c2\u00a0 I love the smell of sunshine on my sheets. I love listening to the birds as I pin the laundry to the line.<\/p>\n

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\"2c4ab5534b9db8645b768e06d818e2aa\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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I do not love fighting the mosquitoes. But that everyday nuisance is a fact of life in Florida.<\/p>\n

The appearance of this old-timey appliance is the result of my dear husband’s\u00c2\u00a0 reluctant cooperation and my huge effort toward getting the essential pieces\/parts. I had to be assertive with the “associate” who “helped” me at the local home improvement store. \u00c2\u00a0 He seemed unable to understand the ancient term “clothes line.”<\/p>\n

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Elin Kleopatra Danielson-Gambogi (Finnish painter, 1861-1919) A Sunny Day<\/em>.\u00c2\u00a0 Yes, clotheslines have been around for a long time.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

First, I was shown a pricey, boxed, umbrella style contraption that likely required two burly, certified installers.\u00c2\u00a0 Next up was a high tech\u00c2\u00a0 mechanically engineered retractable cord.\u00c2\u00a0 When I finally made myself clear–“I NEED A ROPE!”—the perplexed young man asked, ” Why? Would you like to see our dryers?”\u00c2\u00a0 grrrrrr…….<\/p>\n

The whole process started as I was laundering some\u00c2\u00a0 antique textiles to include in kits for the lacy crazy<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0 patch class I was teaching for Sewing at the Beach<\/a> in Myrtle Beach<\/a>.\u00c2\u00a0 (Does anyone know why some of my links are blue and others are not?)<\/em><\/p>\n

As one load after another went from the washer’s gentle cycle to the dryer’s delicate setting, I recalled someone–Judith Dobson, I think–saying that every time you iron fabric,\u00c2\u00a0 its life is shortened by about 50 years.\u00c2\u00a0 (I wonder who makes these estimates.)<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0 It seemed to me that the dryer must have a similar impact. Hummmm…Maybe I should get a clothesline!<\/p>\n

It also occurred to me that not only would it extend the life of my textiles but it would also help the environment,\u00c2\u00a0 reduce our energy bill and take a tiny nick out of America’s energy problem.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 So I put the request to my dear husband.<\/p>\n

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\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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He didn’t oppose the notion. \u00c2\u00a0 But where would we put it, he asked?\u00c2\u00a0 We have 3 acres, I reminded him.\u00c2\u00a0 Surely there is some small patch of turf where we could string a rope between two trees.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 He agreed to put it on his to-do list.<\/p>\n

My guy is an engineer who prefers to begin such tasks\u00c2\u00a0 AFTER detailed impact studies, lengthy calculations of long term advantages and disadvantages, careful cost analysis and estimates of manual labor hours.\u00c2\u00a0 Then there is his ever present defense of his John Deere’s inalienable right of unimpeded access to every blade of grass and weed in his domain.<\/p>\n

But he is also extremely considerate and helpful with everything I do.\u00c2\u00a0 Knowing how I regularly schedule 28 hours of activities in every 24 hour day, he declared that my time was too valuable to be spent hanging out laundry. But I persisted.<\/p>\n

Finally after completing extensive property surveys and feasibility studies, he found a suitable location.\u00c2\u00a0 At last, I have a clothesline.<\/p>\n

There is more good news<\/em>.<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 Clotheslines can stop a drought!\u00c2\u00a0 Texans take note— as soon as my clothes were basking in the fresh air, the rains began. This has happened again and again! In times of drought, this line is more effective than a rain dance or\u00c2\u00a0 dowsing with a divining rod.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

A dowser, from an 18th century French book about superstitions.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The bad news<\/strong><\/em>?\u00c2\u00a0 After 6 weeks with an idle dryer and air dried clothes, Bob informed me that our nation is still dependent on foreign oil.\u00c2\u00a0 Maybe if I switch to cold wash water……..<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0 A Clothesline Poem (Anonymous)<\/em><\/p>\n

A clothesline was a news forecast, to neighbors passing by.<\/em>
\n There were no secrets you could keep when clothes were hung to dry.<\/em>
\n It also was a friendly link, for neighbors always knew<\/em>
\n If company had stopped on by to spend a night or two.<\/em>
\n For then you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d see the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fancy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d sheets and towels upon the line.<\/em>
\n You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d see the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153company tablecloth\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with intricate design.<\/em>
\n The line announced a baby\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s birth, from folks who lived inside<\/em>
\n As brand-new infant clothes were hung, so carefully with pride!<\/em>
\n The ages of the children could so readily by known;<\/em>
\n By watching how the sizes changed, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d know how much they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d grown!<\/em>
\n It also told when illness struck, as extra sheets were hung;<\/em>
\n Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too haphazardly were strung.<\/em>
\n It also said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Gone on vacation now,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d when lines hung limp and bare.<\/em>
\n It told, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re back!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d when full lines sagged with not an inch to spare!<\/em>
\n New folks in town were scorned upon, if wash was dingy and gray,<\/em>
\n As neighbors carefully raised their brows, and looked the other way\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/em>
\n But clotheslines now are of the past, for dryers make work much less.<\/em>
\n Now what goes on inside a home is anybody\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s guess!<\/em>
\n I really miss that way of life – it was a friendly si<\/em>gn;
\nWhen neighbors knew each other best by what hung on the line.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"back<\/a>

a laundry ad in an old Needlecraft magazine<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I now have a clothesline and I love it.\u00c2\u00a0 I love the wicker basket, the canvas pin bag and the wooden spring clothespins.\u00c2\u00a0 I love spending\u00c2\u00a0 extra time … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":18787,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[828],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18786"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18786"}],"version-history":[{"count":43,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33350,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18786\/revisions\/33350"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}