THE BASIC RULES FOR CLOTHESLINES: (if you don't know
what clotheslines are, better skip this)


1. You had to wash the clothes line before hanging any clothes
-walk the entire lengths of each line with a damp cloth around the
lines.


2. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order, and
always hang "whites" with "whites," and hang them first.


3. You never hung a shirt by the shoulders - always by
the tail!. What would the neighbors think?


4. Wash day on a Monday! . .. . Never hang clothes on the
weekend, or Sunday, for Heaven's sake!


5. Hang the sheets and towels on the outside lines so you
could hide your "unmentionables" in the middle (perverts &
busybodies, y'know!)


6. It didn't matter if it was sub zero weather . ....
Clothes would "freeze-dry.."


7. Always gather the clothes pins when taking down dry
clothes! Pins left on the lines were "tacky!"


8. If you were efficient, you would line the clothes up so that
each item did not need two clothes pins, but shared one of the
clothes pins with the next washed item..


9. Clothes off of the line before dinner time, neatly
folded in the clothes basket, and ready to be ironed.


10. IRONED?! Well, that's a whole other subject!




A POEM


A clothesline was a news forecast
To neighbors passing by,
There were no secrets you could keep
When clothes were hung to dry.




It also was a friendly link
For neighbors always knew
If company had stopped on by
To spend a night or two.




For then you'd see the "fancy sheets"
And towels upon the line;
You'd see the "company table cloths"
With intricate designs.




The line announced a baby's birth
From folks who lived inside -
As brand new infant clothes were hung,
So carefully with pride!




The ages of the children could
So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed,
You'd know how much they'd grown!




It also told when illness struck,
As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,
Haphazardly were strung.




It also said, "Gone on vacation now"
When lines hung limp and bare.
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged
With not an inch to spare!


New folks in town were scorned upon
If wash was dingy and gray,
As neighbors carefully raised their brows,
And looked the other way .


But clotheslines now are of the past,
For dryers make work much less.
Now what goes on inside a home
Is anybody's guess!


I really miss that way of life.
It was a friendly sign
When neighbors knew each other best
By what hung on the line

I just love this little story. Oh, how well I remember the clothesline!! :D
I can still smell the freshness of the clothes, when taking them off the line. Great memories!! :D

i must confess that when the sun shines, i still use one. i made my dh put one back up a few years back and i still love he way clothes smell.

I just recently went back to a clothesline.
Florida decided that no matter what a homeowner association said anyone could hang out the wash!
Good for the environment.

I've always heard such wonderful talk about clotheslines. The smell, the crispness, etc. Not to mention saving energy. Maybe we should do a couple of loads this way. And hide the 'unmentionables" of course! LOL! Thanks for sharing. Now I know how to do it!

I have such "fond" memories of bringing in the boards in the winter! :? :lol: :lol: :lol:

i remember bringing in the frozen diapers. you could hit someone over the head with them and give them a concussion!

(yes, children...diapers were made to be washed and reused. not thrown away)

I used to love helping my grandma and great aunt with hanging the clothes on the clothesline. :) Such a fond memory.

Heck I did one through three this week!!!!

I use my clotheslines that Roy put up for me several several years ago. Even my Respite worker uses them. She's always trying to save me a little money, that really helps in all sorts of ways.

I remember my fingers freezing with the push clothespins instead of the clip type we have now. Mom hung those clothes in the wash house when it was raining or freezing after Daddy built it. Was much easier on the hands.

Remember the wringer washers?