Sunday, July 7, 2013

Wet garden, clotheslines, appliance propaganda


Another day too wet to get into the garden which is very frustrating because I have a wonderful crop of pig weed that thinks it is supposed to be in my gardens and I can’t get in to weed them out.  The chickens will be more than glad to eat those weeds for me, but the weeds are getting large enough I will either have to get more chickens (more chicks coming this month) or just leave them where I pull them and use them for mulch (yes, you can).  For those of you who do not garden, working in a garden with wet soil is the worst thing you can do to your soil.  The repercussions last for years.  The ground seizes into clods that take years to come apart and your ground also compresses under your footsteps to create a tough top layer.  Thanks, Dad, for impressing that upon me all of my life.  We miss you every day.    

   Clothes on the line and watching for rain drops.  I do my laundry on Sundays during farmers market season since we are at the market on Saturday mornings.  When I retire from my $$ job, I will do all of my laundry on another day during the week (probably the old traditional Monday).  Anyway, laundry is on the line which is a tremendous time and energy saver over using the dryer.  Your clothes last longer and the fresh smell is incredible.  Whenever possible (March through December when we are lucky, put them on the line as low as 40 degrees), I use my clothesline.  Not much ironing at all if you have a nice breeze.  About the time savings--- the running back and forth to switch loads in the laundry plus the same thing for taking clothes out of the dryer, putting clothes into the dryer—I can’t get anything else done.  Ah, but when I do the laundry early in the a.m., get it all on the clothesline and let it dry in the sun and fresh air, I don’t have to run back and forth at all.  When it is dry or when I am ready to take the clothes down from the line, I put them in baskets, take them in the house, fold and put away.  Done and the time in between is mine!!  That is why I am incredulous when women tell me that the dryer is so much more convenient.  Not for me and probably not for you if you get yourself a clothesline.  Another way to save precious, expensive energy (and your own!!).    What we have to remember is that the appliance companies need to sell appliances and, especially in this country, making a buck is the name of the game.  So, the propaganda (some call it advertising) is to make us all think that we must have this time-saving (read ‘energy, $$ sucking) appliance.  Right………………….        

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