Hung Out To Dry
Hung Out To Dry
It’s oxymoron day! Happy Wordy Wordless Wednesday sweet bloggy friends.
A Clothesline Poem (Anonymous)
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 tablecloth” with intricate design.
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 by 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.
See you at the Thursday Favorite Things Hop Tomorrow!!!
I love hanging clothes out to dry ~ nothing like the scent of freshly laundered and air dried clothes and such a cute poem.
What a sweet little poem that brings back memories to me. My mother had a clothes line when I was a little girl and of course we had no dryer. My job was to hold the clothes pin bag and always be ready with a clothes pin as she hung out the laundry. I had a clothesline about 30 years ago and I used it some. Nothing like the smell of clean sheets air dried on the line. I want to take you for touring my home today.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;0
I love that! I have never thought of a clothes line that way before, or in any way I suppose. I faintly remember seeing a few clothes lines when I was a small child and maybe will start to see more as some are becoming “green”.
Great poem. I can remember hanging diapers on the line in winter. They would freeze stiff immediately. They dried by the wind whipping them dry. Brrrrrrr, so glad that time has past.
xo Ginger
Lovely poem BUT! all i can say is THANKS GOD! for dryers and the ppl who invented them. I never had a cloth line my mom did and as a child my sister is 11 years younger than me SOO MY CHORE was to hang the diapers my mom, washed, on the cloth line and take them off when they dried and fold them. THANKS GOD FOR PAPER DIAPERS TOO!! but i love loveLAVENDER to put in between my sheets when i store them in the lenin closet.
I used to hang my clothes on the line, and can remember my mother doing it as well.
I miss having a clothes line!! The clothes smelled so fresh, it was wonderful!!
**Love the poem!! =)
Hugs,
Melissa
This is a wonderful post, Katie. I have early childhood memories of my mother using a primitive wringer washing machine and hanging clothes on the line. Everybody in the neighborhood did it and you really could learn a lot about a family from looking at their laundry drying in the sun. Thank you, Katie, and have a happy Wordy Wednesday!
Hi Katherine,
What a lovely poem. I must admit that you tell all of that about me since I hang out almost all of my laundry all year. The perk of living in Florida.
Thanks for the lovely poem,
Hugs,
Bev
I liked your poem. 🙂
Hi Katherine thanks for sharing such a nice poem, I even remember my grandmother hanging clothes in her snow boots in the winter to freeze fry her sheets. But everything smells so fresh when hung outdoors, I still hang things on hangers outside to dry. But the sheets and towels are the best.
Hope you have a great week, Hope you can stop by this week and check out some of these posts
Karren
Hugs
What a sweet photo! And I love the poem. I never thought about what clothes on the line said about the home. I can’t wait to hang things out. We need a new clothes line as ours got cracked and the wire inside the plastic rusted. Not good for the clothes! Have a great day. Pamela
Used to hang my bedding out on the line, but I don’t have a clothes line at this house so I haven’t in years.
Blessings,
Cindy
I absolutely love hanging my laundry out to dry on the clothesline in the summer. Everything smells so fresh when dried on the line. It’s a luxury to slip between sheets at night that have that fresh outside smell.
Great poem Katherine, thanks for finding and posting it.
Have a great day.
I love hanging my clothes on the line! I love the way it smells and I love the electric bill better too! LOL Once I could not get the cat smell out of the cat blanket, I hung it on the line and the sun got the smell out, Also helps with stains on the back of old quilts!
Oh my goodness, that was terrific. Your’s was the first email I read this morning and it put a smile on my face. Thanks
Wonderful poem. I bet all them aprons are yours hanging there on the line. :}
Ten years have passed and I’m still waiting for hubby to put up a line for me.Not holding my breath waiting for one either. Clothes always smell so nice a fresh when hung out in the good ole fresh air.
Thanks for the memories.
ColleenB.
Haven’t had a clothesline, since we lived in Queens, NY as a kid, but you truly reminded me of that here. Thanks for the bit of a walk down memory lane with your awesome poem. Happy Wednesday Katherine!! 🙂