Some of you know me well enough by know to know that I am giddy over spring. (I even pined away for spring in my very first blog post back in 2008.) There is something about that transient division between the more extreme seasons that has called to me since childhood. Fall is spectacular. But spring. Spring is my bliss.
Yesterday, we did not clean the house as we had hoped. That was delusional and by 10:30 I called the kids together and said it was time to abandon ship and get outside for goodness sake. Alas, I think cleaning might have to wait until we move, or perhaps until summer – which ever comes first. (I know what my preference is on this, but it has little to do with how I feel about cleaning.)
So instead of cleaning the house we simply cleaned the clothes and hung them to dry in the sun.
And as I hung the laundry I realized – few chores make me as cheerful as this.
My clothespin apron (pictured above and worn nearly every day from March until November) was made by Rachel at Stitched in Color. I got it from her years ago, won on her blog when she hosted a giveaway. If you love this practical and cute apron as much as I do, you can use her tutorial to make your own. (Oh look! That's my very apron pictured there, with a few less miles on it.) Why I haven't made these for everyone I know with a clothesline I'm not sure. I'm also not sure I ever told Rachel how much I love it and how if it ever is beyond reparable I'll cry a while, and then sew another one for myself. Hopefully now she knows.
How I hung laundry without it I can not say.
To keep rambling about my apron, simply for the sake of an amusing visual, It's not uncommon to see me wearing this apron, loaded with wooden clothespins, over – or worse, under – a cooking apron as I bounce back and forth in the summer between canning and laundry. Two aprons at one time. Domestic overload! (My grandmas would be so proud.)
But I digress. The point I am trying to make is that I love hanging out the laundry. It is a chore, yes, but a chore that I love. My 80-something next door neighbor line dries her laundry year round, but she's tougher than me (and has less laundry to hang). I am a above 32F line dryer, and love these first warm days simply for the laundry. Line-drying season is back!
While the laundry flapped cheerfully in the wind just a few feet away, we balanced all that clean with some dirty – the other work /pleasure of our day. The garden.
Yes, we're expecting to move any time now. But really. The sun, the thaw, the possibility of spring. Who could pass up that rich, black earth and not tuck a few seeds in? Clearly no one in this house. So we planted lettuces, greens, beets, radishes, carrots, and peas. It was hard to stop. We just kept at it, blissfully turning soil and delighting in all the life we found out there. Worms! Grubs! A caterpillar! We didn't come inside for dinner until nearly seven, and there's more we'll do tomorrow. But we planted. Our garden. One last time in this piece of earth.
It was good for my soul.
And do you know what? Tomorrow my house will still be dirty. But chances were pretty good that even if we had spent this gorgeous day inside cleaning it would have been dirty by tomorrow anyway. I think there's no question we made the right choice.
Get out there and play today, won't you?
Love,
Rachel
I love to hang out clothes also…it is my favorite chore! Fun to see a post about this when most of my friends just find me plain old “weird” with this!:)
ah, I love clean clothes hanging on the line, I haven’t hung out yet this year, but soon!
Wow, thanks Rachel! It’s so wonderful to hear from you. That seems like ages ago.. but it wasn’t! What a blessing to know it’s being used and enjoyed. I’m going to hang my first load of laundry today. Welcome, welcome spring!
I feel the exact same way about hanging out laundry. It’s suddenly not so much a chore and more of a meditation.
Thank you for the invitation, I think we will.
Rachel, I had to laugh at the double apron vision. I am an apron wearer as well and I can’t pass them up when I’m out thrifting. I haven’t yet woken up my laundry line here in Western Montana….but soon.I do have to tell you what a small world we live in. I was reading my material for the Whole Food Kitchen workshop and your name was so familiar to me.Then I remembered I had received some of your LuSa products as gifts from my dearest friend of 20+ years. Her name is Becca Lewis-Clifton and she has raised her children in Viroqua,WI where they attended the Waldorf school. It always makes me smile when I’m reminded how small this big planet really is. Have a wonderful day, Susan Damschen.
I think I missed something along the line, did they accept your offer for the farm?! If that is true congratulations!!
We’ve been planting here too. I just put in cucumbers, pumpkin and butternut squash. We also have peas, carrots, beets spinach and chard. Yummy!
No news yet, but were optimistic. Ill keep you all posted as we know more!
How funny, Susan! I guess we were meant to meet. Becca is my neighbor, just a few block away. Be sure to tell her of our chance internet meeting! Welcome to this space. Rachel
Weird? Oh, no. Vibrant. 🙂
I will tell her. She (Becca) is off in California right now meeting her first grandbaby for the first time! Such joy.Susan
I do love it. Thanks again!