Laundry Day

Having suffered a setback a number of days ago, it was time to take the bull by the horns, or the trees by the rope. Last spring we had purchased me a clothesline of the type that opens like an umbrella and twirls around in it's base. I could hang 5-6 loads on this wonderful contraption at once and it was mounted right on the deck. Unfortunately, I hung laundry on a particularly windy day, unaware that this wind contained a straw that would break the proverbial camel's back. My super handy clothesline was bent by the wind at the bracket that held it to the railing. I looked out and there was my laundry, draped across the deck and woodpile. Not a happy sight.

I had determined today to be laundry day - the ground is still snowy but it was shirtsleeves weather - and I came to the realization that drying clothes in a dryer has become as unpleasant to me as dental work. Necessity being what it is, I found that I could hang all the heavy flannel shirts and jeans directly over the railing, I brought out my little drying stand for unmentionables, and dug through camping gear to find a 50' length of clothesline to string between... Oh, wait, as part of our fire mitigation, Kent had cut down many of the trees near the house. Hmmm. Wait, there are two trees about 20' from the house and a deck for the other end. It worked quite well and I dried 5 loads outside today. You just can't beat line dried laundry.

Bear, my faithful pal since Cole's passing, waited patiently. He appeared quite comfy lying in the snow. He was more than willing to walk to the mailbox with me, though, and so we went on a fine afternoon stroll. So fine we walked past the mailbox and kept right on going. After about another 1/2 mile we (I) decided to turn back and we stopped for the mail on the way to the house. The views makes it particularly rewarding.

Walking with a dog makes for a more leisurely and thorough examination of the world around us. Bear pointed out to me that even though it may seem like the "bleak mid-winter", if you look there are always signs of life. Here is an evergreen-type ground cover with pretty little red berries hiding amongst the leaves. Very cheery.

So, line dried laundry, a fine stroll, and a world of beauty all around us. It was a fine winter day.