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The Humble Clothesline

Hanging laundry to dry can be a soothing and rewarding task. I follow the FlyLady’s advice and wash a load every day, so hanging a single load to dry is not an overwhelming job.

Line-drying clothes is new for me, and I find it gives me a few minutes to stop thinking and concentrate on the task at hand. Mark from Mark’s Daily Apple talks about the importance of involuntary, or passive, thinking in his post on why we should work outside. This is rare for me as something is always whirling around in my head. I need to work on that.

Motivational Clothes Drying

Solely by going outside to hang laundry on the clothesline yesterday, I accomplished some major tasks from my to-do list.

Miss Katie has a 4 year old’s fascination with mud and dirt, so she was happily occupied all afternoon making her ‘experiments.’ While she played, I relocated a few meandering snapdragons and added geraniums to the front flower garden.

Those poor geraniums had been patiently waiting to be planted for a couple of weeks. They surprisingly look as good as the day we brought them home.

Take note black thumb growers: you may be able to impress your friends and actually grow something. If they can survive me, you should be in the clear.

I tackled the vegetable garden next and finally moved some compost from the compost pile to mix with the overabundance of peat moss in one of the raised beds. Hand-tilling it along with some of the underlying dirt took some muscle, and I was happy that Katie quietly played while I wrestled and sweated in the hot sun.

It wasn’t done perfectly, but at least it’s done.

Katie helped me plant our new organic vegetable plants, and we now have a red bell pepper, two tomato, and four cucumber plants snuggled in and soaking up the hot June sun.

It’s not the plan for our heirloom garden, but I’m happy to have rallied enough to get some plants in thanks to great advice from some wonderful readers.

All from hanging a load of laundry in the sun.

Benefits to hanging clothes outside:

reduced energy bills
whiter whites without bleach (sunny days)
freshens clothing
vitamin D production from sun exposure (sunny days)
exposure to fresh air
opportunity for grounding or earthing, if you are barefoot and directly on the dirt or grass
motivation to get other outdoor tasks done
can be one of the most relaxing and meditative times of the day

This post is part of Simple Lives Thursday, Fresh Bites Friday, Small Footprint Fridays

Welcome! I'm Jennifer, the owner & founder of Healing Redefined Holistic Wellness Center, holistic practitioner, and head nutrition nerd here at Healing Redefined.

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Medical Disclaimer: The information contained in this blog is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Please consult a physician in matters relating to serious illness and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.

Medications – You should work closely with your physician to adjust medications as your body heals. Many of you will be able to say goodbye to “maintenance” medication forever but some will not.

13 Responses

Marco says:

June 14, 2012 at 2:27 pm

we can do it!!! ;-))
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Dorothy says:

August 12, 2012 at 7:52 am

I love that you find solace in hanging laundry outside–AND manage to tackle a few garden tasks while you’re out there, too!!! Don’t worry so much about not growing food from your heirloom plan, you are still learning and I think anything you plant is great!!

We do not hang out our laundry outside–we have far too many issues with seasonal allergies and pollen getting on our freshly cleaned clothes would defeat the purpose of laundering them. However, I do hang quite a bit in the basement =)
1. Jennifer says:
  
  August 13, 2012 at 9:22 am
  
  What a great idea to hang them in the basement! I have been trying to figure out how to hang our clothes out of the way when they’re in the house. I see a new project in my near future.
  
  For the allergen issue, have you tried throwing each load in the dryer for 15-20 minutes when you bring them in? I use it to soften them and knock off any nasties. It uses energy, but a lot less than running a full load. Our airborne allergies are almost non-existent now, so I’m not sure how well it will work with full-blown ones. What a great time to start on my Baby Steps to Better Health [shameless plug]. 😉
Robin @ Thank Your Body says:

August 15, 2012 at 4:50 pm

Oh man, this post makes me want my own backyard so badly. The layout of our condo just wouldn’t allow for this, but someday. Someday…. (sigh)
1. Jennifer says:
  
  August 16, 2012 at 9:06 pm
  
  Start small! Ikea has indoor clothes drying racks, and you can group your plants around it. They’ll love the humidity and you can pretend you’re outside. 😉 On a more serious note, I wish you much luck finding even a small patch of land to scratch in the dirt and revel in your domesticity!
Rachel @ day2day joys says:

October 6, 2012 at 9:47 am

I was just reading on another post and all the comments about how they hate line drying bc of allergies but I guess they don’t understand your immune system has to be around stuff to build and learn to fight things off! I actually have lined-dried before but this makes me want to ha! 🙂

Would love for you to link up to Healthy 2day Wednesdasy with all you healthy posts every week from Tues 11pm EST to Saturday Evening!
1. Jennifer says:
  
  October 8, 2012 at 8:13 am
  
  I would be happy to stop by!
Kathy, The Chicken Chick says:

October 6, 2012 at 9:29 pm

Hello, new follower here! I would love to have you link up with my Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/09/clever-chicks-blog-hop-2-featured-post.html

I hope to see you there!
Cheers!
Kathy
The Chicken Chick
1. Jennifer says:
  
  October 8, 2012 at 8:14 am
  
  Thanks for the invite!