Finally (it has been raining for three days) a day nice enough to hang clothes on the line again. I have been addicted to my clothesline since I got it for my birthday this year :)
Yes, yes... those of you who know me well cannot believe that I would be doing the clothesline thing after all the years I said it was just too much work with this many kids.... BUT... I have been doing a little (ok a lot) of reality therapy on myself recently... trying to pull myself out of a huge funk and load of sadness that has weighed me down a lot of this summer... Maybe you remember from college psych about reality therapy: "What is it I want? Is that a realistic desire? Is it legal, moral, attainable, worthwhile.... etc. etc?" And so, I spent quite a bit of time asking myself these questions.
What does this have to do with a clothesline, you ask... Well just this: Outside of raising kids who know where their salvation lies, one of the things I have always wanted to do was to be as self-sufficient as possible, living well below my means (or John's means as the case may be..haha). That has been some of the answer to my reality therapy. It used to be so important to me to be a "back to the lander" and even live off the grid, producing some of our own power and most of our own food. The more kids I had the more I told myself I already had too much to do, I sure was not going to hang clothes, put a lot of energy into recycling, try to get out from under the electric bill or spend a lot of time worrying if something is organic when what I needed was cheap. As time went by I quit making bread, stopped hanging out clothes, got rid of the chickens and cloth diapers.
At the 4th of July extravaganza this year, before I was fully committed to pulling myself out of my depressed state, John's cousin Dan and I were bandying about the notion of shutting down the main power circuit breaker in the house for several hours every day. I have contemplated doing it many times wondering whether the fridge/freezer would just work harder, etc, and Dan just said, "Why don't you try it? Experiment a little."
duh... why don't I? Why don't I do the stuff I moved to the country to do? What is my hold up?? Indeed I have acted on some of my notions in more recent years, but I have been in a rut of self-pity of late. Well, since I got my clothesline I am recommitted. I just love to stand out in the yard hanging up clothes. Not only is it therapeutic out there in the quiet breeze, making my plans, talking them over with God, but it is saving my dryer 5+ loads a day. I have been recycling like a fiend... really kicked it up a notch. Our family of 14 only has 4-5 white garbage bags of throw away garbage a week, compared to about a dozen giant black bags previously. I love it. And I have lots more plans running around in my head. I have yet to experiment with shutting the power off, but it is coming, so get ready kids.
You may wonder how I can reconcile my humming propane tank that heats the pool with my blabbing about hanging clothes on the line and living off the grid.... Well, hang on I am sure I can come up with something :)
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