Fresh Laundry

When my children were small – maybe 3 and 5 years old – I knew it was a good day when I had time to hang the laundry on the line. Instead of the rushed grab-and-throw from washer to drier, I would hitch the laundry basket onto my hip and with the children underfoot, go out to the clothesline to take advantage of the sun.

I had a miniature clothesline for the kids, low enough for them to reach. The idea was to include them in household chores when they still thought it was fun to be just like mommy – and I always felt it paid off in the long run, even though it took infinitely longer to get anything done when they were “helping.”

What I remember about laundry from my own childhood is running through fresh, crisp, white sheets that move just enough to make way for you as you run through them, ducking under or trailing fingers along their edges. I remember hot sunlight that smelled of summer, with a back scent of freshly cut grass. And later, I remember my mother saying how much she loved to watch the laundry "dance" on the line.

Even today, when there is only a dog underfoot, I like to break up the day with a little laundry time outdoors. Of course, I’m all for air drying my laundry to save energy – and money. But what I love most about it is the fresh air that wakens my senses twice: once while I’m hanging clothes, and again when I smell that line-dried scent of clothes and sheets that have absorbed sunlight and breezes from my backyard.