Hanging Clothes on Trees

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

19 Apr 2007 08:23 AM

What happens when you inherit a dryer from the 1930's? Read on to find out how in one fell swoop I did my laundry and created some unique landscaping.

Moving into our new home has been an adventure. From living without water for three days to finding enough dirt on the kitchen floor to fill the cat's' litter-box, we have been feeling somewhat like the cast of Lost if they had found themselves in a rural part of Pennsylvania.

As soon as usable water was restored to the house, it was time to do laundry. The washer was a nice large capacity one that I was looking forward to using, after I cleaned off the gelatin-like layer of what might have been either congealed fabric softener or the remains of the alien egg king from Jimmy Neutron.

The dryer was another story. It was so ancient that it was without a dial. The way to start it up was with a complicated series of switches, one of which broke off in my hand. Doing the ancient "please turn on" ritual dance also helped. Still, it was worth a shot, and I decided to try it out.

Three hours later, the clothes had gone from very damp to well, very damp.

I unloaded the clothes from the dryer; the machine seemed to make an almost audible sigh as the last lone sock came tumbling out.

So with a deep sigh of my own, I took my laundry basket and headed out to the backyard. Fortunately, we are not short on trees.

"OOoooh, pretty!" My two-year-old daughter noted, as the clothes made a sort of early spring of bright color out in the back for the next week or so, until we we were able to attach another dryer.

Some of our neighbors came over that first day, to introduce themselves. I'm sure they wondered why my husband's underwear was draped so elegantly over the forsythia. Well, at least we certainly must have made an impression in the new neighborhood.

The dryer has now long been swapped out, but my two-year-old daughter misses the clothes hanging on trees. She had grown to assume that this was the way laundry was done.

And watching a lone deer walk up the hill wearing a bright pink sock, I have a funny feeling that I might have missed something. Or perhaps the idea of hanging clothes in trees just happened to catch on?

Mary Ann Romans writes about her family's money saving secrets in the Frugal Living Blog here at Families.com

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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jonesx6 (1606) 20 Apr 2007 03:12 AM

Mary Ann, Sounds pretty funny!! Great idea!! lol Laura

Mary Ann Romans (26886) 20 Apr 2007 05:40 AM

I think my husband took photos. If so, I'll share!