A View from the Back Porch

Earth Day: Was that yesterday? Or recently? It was hardly on my radar screen, except for some mention on someone else's blog. In my world, it's holy week. Here's a shot of my current back porch icon collection.

But by happy circumstance, my dryer broke down yesterday, so for my ghetto Earth day celebration I procured some clothesline and clothespins. The repair man can't get here for another week. A good way to use some of that free solar energy. I think I shall keep this up as long as the weather permits, which ought to be most of the time for the next several months.

And what's really sad is, I wonder whether the neighbors will be upset, having to look at our laundry hanging on the line. Oh, for simpler times!

In my neighborhood, walking and hanging out your laundry is sort of a poverty thing. Funny how it's good for the environment, too.

Comments

elizabeth said…
it is funny what is seen as linked to poverty. i would love to be able to hang clothes outside! but i live in the middle of a city... but not like the images i would see or read about of NY City where there were lines going from railing to railing...

at my parents home we always hang our clothes outside ... they smell so good that way!

lovely icons, btw. i love my little icon corner and did not realize how used to being surrounded by icons until i went home for Christmas to my parent's house that has no icons... it was like almost all of the visual respresentation of the Kingdom of God were absent - i felt like i was going through a reverse culture shock...

blessed rest of Holy Week!
Mimi said…
My dryer broke earlier this month, we just broke down and bought a new one.

I got tired of hanging my laundry all arond my house.
Christina said…
I have a new clothesline in my backyard, but sadly, have only been able to use it once in the last few weeks. It SNOWED here on Saturday (not typical weather for Portland, OR).
And here, in Portland, going green is way cool so I'm "hip" with my outside clothesline, my front yard garden patch, and bringing my own bags to the grocery store!
Funny side note story... a friend of mine who lives here, her parents live in Louisiana and they brought their own bags to the grocery store. The checkout clerk looked at them and asked, "what am i supposed to do with these?" They replied,"put our groceries in there." I asked her if they asked for the $.05 discount for bringing their own bags (most stores here do that). She just laughed!
Has said…
Are you telling me that most people in the US use a clothes dryer instead of a clothesline? That amazes me! Your power bills must be sky-high. I guess your weather is less conducive to outdoor drying. Doesn't it shrink your elastics etc?
Alana said…
Yes, most people have a clothes dryer and use it year round. (Shame!) In many parts of the country it's impossible to get clothes dry in the fall/winter any other way. But then again, lots of it has to do with living the status quo.

And if it's hard on the clothes, so much the better, as clothes are treated by most as a seasonally disposable commodity, judging by the abundant and cheap and very good resources at the local thrift stores. Name brand stuff. Boggles the mind.
Alana said…
Oh, and in the South, it can be very humid, even in the summer.
Anonymous said…
Hi,

okay h and s, where do yo life?! Not to contradict, but I live about 5 hours further north than Alana and there is a big Amish community here. They all hand their clothes out to dry ALL YEAR 'ROUND! And my step mother did the same thing when she was young (not too long after the Great Depression) Hmmmmm. Food for thought.

Also, When dh was in bible school I hung ALL out to dry for 4 YEARS! It was so much work!

Jillian
Unknown said…
Just a cautionary note. While hanging clothes outside to dry is good for the environment, it is not necessarily good for your allergies! If you suffer from pollen allergies, don't hang out your clothes during times when you (or your family members) are experiencing symptoms. Also, if you have mold allergies watch the mold spore counts (online weather forecasts are good sources). My solution: I put clothes on hangers and hang them on my shower rod and off the shelves in my laundry closet. I also have a folding clothes-drying rack that I set in the tub. I have asked my husband to install another curtain rod in the laundry closet doorway to increase my hanging space. Make sure you keep the bathroom door open for air circulation to prevent mildew growth in this rather humid room. Confession: I usually take the clothes down when they are still partly damp and toss them in the dryer with a dryer sheet for about 20 minutes. End result: My clothes look and feel like they were machine dried for about 1/4 to 1/3 the energy. And, my house has better humidity levels during the winter heating months.
Has said…
Hi Jillian

I live in Australia. Everyone hangs clothes outside here (lovely weather most of the year, I suppose - plus a terrible drought, so everyone is always surprised when it occasionally rains) and everyone has clothes racks for drying clothes inside when it rains. Some people have tumble dryers which are usually used (a) when it's raining and (b) in emergencies.

Having said that, I suppose the growing numbers of people living in high-rise apartments (a rarity until this decade) will be using dryers. I don't know anyone who lives without a clothesline.

Alana, I love your outdoor icons! And the candles that don't blow out in the wind! Plus very nice pink headscarf.
Anonymous said…
Aloha from Hawaii -- where EVERYONE hangs laundry out at all times. But then, Hawaii is actually quite a poor state once you get out of glossy Waikiki. I think it's so dumb the way a lot of neighborhoods on the mainland have rules about hanging laundry out because it "looks bad." Please.

Soooo nice to talk to you today...missing you all. Theodora