Back To The Basics

For some time now I've been asking Gary for a clothes line. He always had some response that was not fitting and never got one during the season I asked. However, on our recent trip to MX we got the chance to use the roof top clothes line and to Gary's surprise he was a fan. It brought back good memories for him and he was convinced that maybe this small request I've been asking for wasn't so ludicrous.  I've always loved the smell of fresh sheets and clothes from the line. This brings back memories for me as well. Growing up we rarely had clothes dried in the dryer. At the time it seemed like a punishment. You have to admit that jeans dried on the line aren't exactly the most inviting item to wear. I remember my mom taking my dad's jeans off the line and they had frozen and were able to stand on their own. I want to say that that was how they felt on a regular basis but not so extreme. Towels aren't my favorite either but regardless it was a simple "go green" want.

We finally tracked down the materials we needed. They included: Clothes line (not as easy as one might think to find), clothes pins, clothes pin hanging bag, AND steps up to the backyard so we can use the new energy saving dryer. Gary set out with some railroad ties and a shovel, a little gravel and I'm sure a few other tools and started making the steps. A few hours later his proud smile came back through the door requesting my approval. He had done a nice job making the steps, now we only needed to hang the line and have a few more days of sunshine. We got the line hung and then here comes our lovely Ozark unpredictable weather patterns and we got more cold, windy, dreary days so no hanging clothes up yet...

 I FINALLY got to use it and hang a load of Cooper's clothes. 

I'm not sure if you can tell how low to the ground that the clothes are hanging but they were centimeters from the ground. So my DIY self thinks, how can I keep the clothes off the ground, along with being thankful that I hadn't washed heavy towels to hang because they would have certainly been dragging/resting on the ground. 

I had remembered that Mom had a stick that she would prop the line up with to bare some of the weight so again the wheels began to turn and I headed to the shed where I found a paint roller pole. PERFECT! Now what? How will I keep the line on the pole?

A clothes pin and duct tape!! 

So my invention made perfect sense however it only lasted until the wind blew and moved the line and it would slide out. So I decided to add another pole and make it a triangle so it would stand better. Wrong again! It still didn't work. So the logical thing would have been to take out some of the slack right? Well in my head I didn't think I could do that without messing with the bolts that were screwed into the tree. Wrong again!! I wrapped and I wrapped and I wrapped the slack up around that bolt and vua-la! I tightened the line! I had to do it again after they dried because it stretched more but still I kept the clothes off the ground and with the nice breeze they dried quickly!

Cooper joined me outside for our first clothes line adventure. He played on the blanket that soon became balled up and then he played in the dirt. (Funny thing is his Granny apologized for his feet being a little dirty from playing outside just a little while before, little did she know that he'd soon have dirt caked on his pigs!)

He wasn't mad at all but I got a shot that is a look of a serious matter. He knows when I'm trying to take his picture and is able to play opossum in a sense and make the most serious face and ignore me. I finally tickled it out of him. He was a good helper! You can't go wrong with a stick or crinkly leaf to occupy this kiddo!

So the next time you long for that wind fresh childhood memory, remember it's only a roof top or backyard clothes line away and it's a fairly inexpensive memory to create!!

ENJOY!!!!