I'm the type of mom that gets the toddler outside for a play everyday. I feel guilty if I don't. Especially if I put him down for a "sleep" (nap) before he's been outside. Today, running through the wet clothes I've hung on the clothesline will have to count.
Ahh, the clothesline. A novel thing of the past for most of us American women.
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| found this 1950s LA Times picture on this blog: http://countrycabinwithcindy.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/for-love-of-clothesline.html |
At first reluctant, I've learned to embrace the practice of hanging our wash out to dry. It not only conserves energy, but gets me outside for a daily dose of fresh air. Every Australian household I've seen has a clothesline, and they actually use it. In fact, look at this ad in a magazine that shows a typical scene at an Aussie BBQ, and notice the clothesline.
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| Click here to see YouTube video of this funny Aussie Ad. |
It's amazing how quickly I've adjusted to this clothesline culture. I've learned to plan my laundry loads around the weather because I absolutely hate using the clothes dryer. Other women around here apparently feel the same way as I do. It was a crisp, sunny, winter morning the other day, and I overheard a mom at the soccer "pitch" (field) utter, "Oh, I wish I had clothes drying on the line" as we all nodded our heads in agreement. At the heatlhclub, one mom got sympathy from the others when she exclaimed, "Oh no! It's raining? I have clothes on the line!"
This may all sound a bit June Cleaver-ish, but what's wrong with that? Afterall, she is the wife my husband fantasizes about... (Read it here). In all honesty, hanging the wash slows life down. It's not a fast job, and there's no fast way to get it done. It's a job that hasn't changed much over time. I'm hanging wash the same way today as my Grandma did 100 years ago, except her clothespins were different.
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| Clothespins are called pegs in Australia. |
~A
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