Portage River Farm
Notes on our struggles and successes on our family farm in rural Michigan.
(Pinckney, Michigan)
27 Jul Mon 2009
At Long Last...A Proper Clothesline
Even the simplest of requests can take forever to complete when they are added to my pile of projects. Quite early in the spring, Janet requested a clothesline be set up somewhere in the yard. It seemed a little thing but I just could never manage to bring it high enough on the priority list to get it done. There was always something that demanded more immediate attention, something so far behind schedule that I couldn't spare a few hours to get the clothesline done.
As spring passed into summer, I had still not manged to make much progress. To my credit, I did purchase the posts, rope and hardware, but had left them sitting in a neglected heap as I walked around them on my way to more pressing things. Janet continued to use the dryer but longed for the fresh smell of line-dried clothes. Being resourceful, from time to time she accomplished the effect by draping the linens over the deck railing.
As if in sympathy for Janet's suffering, the dryer even did it's part to move the project up the priority list by breaking down. It refused to generate enough airflow to get anything dry. Unswayed by these strongarm tactics, I strung a temporary clothesline across the driveway from the front porch to the gazebo.
Further to Janet's credit, she withstood the embarrassment of having our laundry hanging on the front of the house and overlooked the apprehensions of visitors who were afraid to drive beneath the ropes. They worried that the clothespins might scratch their car roofs or that they would lose the
ir radio antennas when they become snagged on the line.
One summer day, I awoke determined to finally get this item off of my plate once and for all. I used the tractor to bore the post-holes, poured in cement, added the cross members and hardware to the top. Once the cement had set up I added the ropes and we were finally in business! Janet could not be happier with her new clothesline and I am relieved at having something completely crossed off of my list.
As spring passed into summer, I had still not manged to make much progress. To my credit, I did purchase the posts, rope and hardware, but had left them sitting in a neglected heap as I walked around them on my way to more pressing things. Janet continued to use the dryer but longed for the fresh smell of line-dried clothes. Being resourceful, from time to time she accomplished the effect by draping the linens over the deck railing.
As if in sympathy for Janet's suffering, the dryer even did it's part to move the project up the priority list by breaking down. It refused to generate enough airflow to get anything dry. Unswayed by these strongarm tactics, I strung a temporary clothesline across the driveway from the front porch to the gazebo.
Further to Janet's credit, she withstood the embarrassment of having our laundry hanging on the front of the house and overlooked the apprehensions of visitors who were afraid to drive beneath the ropes. They worried that the clothespins might scratch their car roofs or that they would lose the
ir radio antennas when they become snagged on the line.
One summer day, I awoke determined to finally get this item off of my plate once and for all. I used the tractor to bore the post-holes, poured in cement, added the cross members and hardware to the top. Once the cement had set up I added the ropes and we were finally in business! Janet could not be happier with her new clothesline and I am relieved at having something completely crossed off of my list.
John_3
12:00 AM EDT