We put up a clothes line this summer at our new house, and I just had to take a photo of it. How nostalgic as well as environmentally sound is a clothes line!? I love seeing the kids’ clothes lined up together, reminding me of how quickly they grow. And hanging the laundry not only gives me satisfaction because I am reducing electricity use, it also gives me a little space in the day for a peaceful (yet practical!) meditative activity.

Our modern culture has bought into an idea that everything needs to be sterilized with antibacterial soap or bleach, both of which cause harm to our health. Yet the sun is the original disinfectant and brightening agent, and it is free and easily accessible. Hang out dish cloths that have started to smell, hang cloth diapers that have staining, and hang clothes that you don’t want to shrink in the dryer. And best of all, the old saying is true that sheets which have been hanging on the line smell divine when you lay down to sleep at night.

There are some sub-divisions and condo or townhouse units that don’t allow “unsightly” clothes lines. I say it’s time to challenge that, since clothes lines are valuable tools for this time of declining oil reserves and rising fuel costs. And they help remind us of those childhood times when slower life gifted us with so many sweet moments.

~Raina

EH