Clotheslines

Xavier, Sully and Isaac running through sheets

Little legs!

The bending pole

My husband "built" my clothesline 25 years ago. Our lot was nothing but sand and blueberry bushes and the poles didn't stand up very well so he put the end poles in five gallon buckets filled with cement and then buried them. It was built to last... except for the "bend" in one of the poles. It was straight as could be when he put it in the ground, honest! We have no idea what causes it, but every year it bends a little bit farther... one day it will touch the ground... I'm sure of that!

I love the smell of clothes that have been dried in the fresh air and sunshine. Laundry is not one of my favorite chores but with three kids who all played sports, laundry has been a constant in my life so I tolerated it and did it without too much grumbling. I was always anxious for the first spring thaw so that I could throw sheets into the washer and get them out on the clothesline. Oh, the smell of freshly washed sheets that have been dried outside! Heaven!

Now, kids and dogs on the other hand... they have an entirely different appreciation for clothes hung on a clothesline. Running through sheets produced giggles and fun for my two grandsons for hours. All of the toys in the sandbox and the backyard and all they wanted to do was run through my sheets!