So, after years of procrastination and indecision -- and opposition from my husband, who hated the idea -- I finally put up a clothes line in the back yard. I dug a deep hole and my friend Victorya helped me mix the cement, pour it around the base, and square everything away. Pretty simple, really. I wanted a clothesline to save energy, but also because I had such fond memories of helping my mom hang out the wash in our big side yard, where I mostly climbed the cherry tree and watched the clouds. I remember how fresh everything smelled.
Well, I put the clothesline very near our compost bin. Normally there's no smell, but lately I've been dumping the remains of the vegetable plants I've been harvesting behind the bin, and just yesterday I dumped several pounds' worth of outside red cabbage leaves. Pee-yuu (or however you spell it)!
Another challenge is that, of course, different items dry at different rates -- Rob's poly/cotton shirts first, towels last, and everything else in between. He didn't want me to hang stuff outside because he thought everything would be stiff. His shirts dry just like in the dryer, soft and wrinkle-free, but the towels (and underwear!) are stiff. I've been surprised by how long most things take to dry, so sometimes, either because they're not quite dry or because I want to soften them up, I throw them in the dryer for a few minutes. I've also discovered I HATE hanging out socks, so sometimes I just throw them in the dryer right away.
So I don't know how much energy I'm actually saving, though I'm sure it's something. I'm of the school that believes individual action to address climate change is a necessary but far from sufficient condition for change. Governments have to get involved, obviously, and, just as obviously, governmental action can slow down or speed up climate change (as in continuing to give huge subsidies to fossil fuel industries).
One thing about hanging out the wash -- it does put one more in touch with nature and the weather: sunny or cloudy, dry or humid or even raining after I've finished clothes-pinning everything on the line. I do love listening to the cardinals, chickadees and robins, and watching the gorgeous monarchs feeding on the aptly named butterfly bush nearby. And I'm going to find another place to dispose of my garden's biomass, so I can smell the flowers instead.
Well, I put the clothesline very near our compost bin. Normally there's no smell, but lately I've been dumping the remains of the vegetable plants I've been harvesting behind the bin, and just yesterday I dumped several pounds' worth of outside red cabbage leaves. Pee-yuu (or however you spell it)!
Another challenge is that, of course, different items dry at different rates -- Rob's poly/cotton shirts first, towels last, and everything else in between. He didn't want me to hang stuff outside because he thought everything would be stiff. His shirts dry just like in the dryer, soft and wrinkle-free, but the towels (and underwear!) are stiff. I've been surprised by how long most things take to dry, so sometimes, either because they're not quite dry or because I want to soften them up, I throw them in the dryer for a few minutes. I've also discovered I HATE hanging out socks, so sometimes I just throw them in the dryer right away.
So I don't know how much energy I'm actually saving, though I'm sure it's something. I'm of the school that believes individual action to address climate change is a necessary but far from sufficient condition for change. Governments have to get involved, obviously, and, just as obviously, governmental action can slow down or speed up climate change (as in continuing to give huge subsidies to fossil fuel industries).
One thing about hanging out the wash -- it does put one more in touch with nature and the weather: sunny or cloudy, dry or humid or even raining after I've finished clothes-pinning everything on the line. I do love listening to the cardinals, chickadees and robins, and watching the gorgeous monarchs feeding on the aptly named butterfly bush nearby. And I'm going to find another place to dispose of my garden's biomass, so I can smell the flowers instead.
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