Few things can settle my mind and put peace in my soul like sitting on the deck overlooking the south pasture and the hills beyond. At first, thoughts crowd in and the chatter of birds in the oaks is distracting. Slowly, the warmth of the sun soothes and I surrender. My hearing expands to include not just the local colony of birds, but a pair of high-flying red-tail hawks screeching their hunting cries, the gossip of the free-range chickens down by the woods, and even the jake brakes of a truck over on Mt. Aukum Road about five miles away. Throw in a good book and the dog at my feet and my world is complete.
My favorite chore is hanging laundry on the line. I'm grateful for my dryer in the wintertime, but as soon as the weather permits, I love to do the washing just to have an excuse to go out to the clothesline. There's something very satisfying about snapping out the wrinkles before hanging a towel, and then watching the shirts and pants dance to unheard tunes. On hot summer days, Frank has learned that the damp wash still in the basket is a cool place, and frequently my "clean" clothes have cat footprints. Oh well. Tee-shirts and sheets taken off the line and folded right then are as if they'd been ironed smooth, something that never seems to happen in the dryer. Often in the evening there are deer in the south pasture, watching me watch them. What could be better?
Naps are high on my list of priorities. In the summertime, sleep will get me past the worst of the day's heat, and snuggling under an afghan with the dog and a couple of cats chases winter's chill when the woodstove struggles to keep out the cold. Even a short nap is like a bonus for taking care of business during the day.
We all know the words to Julie Andrews's song...and these are a few of my favorite things.
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2 comments:
I've always heard about the wonderful smell and feel of sheets that have dried in God's dryer...but alas, even tho I'm only 8 years younger than you, I've never had the pleasure. Guess that had better go on my Bucket List!!
When we moved into our present house 23 years ago we didn't have enough money to buy a dryer much less pay for the extra energy it would consume so we restrung the old clothes line behind the garage. Fortunately in our area, clothes will dry most days of the year. When I was a child, I hated hanging out the laundry but now I actually enjoy being outside, listening to the birds, and reveling in the fresh air. It is true that clothes from a dryer never smell as sweet as those dried by the sun.
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