Yesterday it was 72 degrees at our house. OUTSIDE. In the middle of October. In Maine! Can you believe it? The weather here this fall has actually been really nice. I think we’ve only had maybe 2 rainy days so far.
With the weather so nice, it seemed like a shame to stay inside so I gently reminded the HH that we still needed to get the clothesline installed {before the ground freezes}. When I say we… I really meant him. 😉
Have I mentioned that I have an amazing view of the garden from the top floor? I’m looking forward to photographing from above next summer.
Lucy was right by his side as usual.
As the HH was digging the hole for the base of the clothesline he found 4 oyster shells. That was exciting. I guess you know you live close to the sea when you hit shells.
A few houses back when he was digging for a fence, it was nothing but sand. I guess you never really know what you’re going to find.
One of these days though I think it would be fun to find some sort of tin full of treasure. But what are the odds of that? Maybe while I’m digging up the yard next spring and installing plants I should bury a few old coffee cans with things in them.
Wouldn’t that be fun!? Okay, I’m totally going to do it. I just wrote myself a sticky note. Consider it done.
The HH wanted to leave the clothesline behind when we moved but I was like… No way! We’re bringing it with us. Plus, everyone knows line drying your clothes {even in the middle of winter} is a HUGE money saver.
Plus, your towels and clothes last longer when you use one. I’ll just have to be mindful about when I stick the clothes out there seeing how we’re kind of in the middle of town and all.
No tighty whities. Got to keep things respectable, you know. 😉
The best part about our clothesline line though, is now that the base is installed, we can store it in the barn when it’s not in use. Which is going to come in handy since our backyard is the size of a postage stamp.
Ahh the joys of a tiny backyard. I’m looking forward to making a garden plan this winter and then growing a ridiculous amount of flowers and vegetables next summer.
But first… We need a little downtime. And snow. Soon. It will happen soon, right?
Is it fall in YOUR neck of the woods yet? Curious minds want to know.
~Mavis
Margo says
Was up in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont this past week on vacation and the weather was fantastic! It was rather chilly in Vermont, but still beautiful. Enjoyed the turning leaf colors! You sure live in a beautiful area! As for hanging the tidy whities out, just hang them in the middle of the wash so they’re not so obvious. It’s how we do it at our house, and I figure if my neighbors don’t like it, they can just stop staring over the fence!
Jamie says
A nice warm fall day project! Do you have any suggestions on how to keep birds off clotheslines? I would love to put one up, but we have a ton of robins and blue jays in the yard and I worry they will set up shop and … do birdy things to our clean items.
Katelyn says
You just gotta hang your skivvies on the inside rows, with sheets on the edges. Instant panty privacy! LOL
Christy says
BINGO! Totally agree.
Dawn says
My childhood memories are filled with the scent of my grandmothers sheets that were dried outside in the sunshine. Unfortunately, I live in the city and don’t have any place for a clothes line or I would have one.
Erin says
I love it! And the yard – it’s small but seems so manageable, which is my goal as we house hunt. I can’t wait to have a clothesline again when we do make our purchase. Our rental doesn’t allow hanging clothes on our patio, so I hang the clothes everywhere inside the house.
christa says
Hanging my clothes to dry is a favorite chore of mine—undies, sheets and towels do go in the dryer, and hanging does preserve the fibers in jeans and tops, especially if there’s any spandex in them. I have another line set up in my garage for rainy days. Despite having bird feeders nearby I never have any issues with birds doing bird things!
eliz says
I’ve never had that kind of clothesline. Why is it preferable to a single line clothesline?
Mavis Butterfield says
I like that it rotates and that you can fit so many things on it at once. You can read more about it here if you’d like: https://sunshineclothesline.com/collections/featured/products/deluxe-9-ft-sunshine-clothesline
eliz says
Thanks. Looks good for clothes, but where do you put your sheets?
Mavis Butterfield says
I hang our queen sized sheets on the outside rungs.
eli says
Would love to try one out someday. Their wood clothes drying rack looks good too.
eliz says
I guess the DL14 must fit king sheets. Maybe on the smaller sizes you can just fold or bunch them up a bit?
GrannyB says
I hang our king size sheets on outs and it’s just like this one. Start at one end and then go around the corner with the other end.
Julie says
Mavis – is that your preferred clothesline shape? I didn’t realize that there were closelines that could be stored and moved. I’ve got retractable lines in my house but nothing beats fresh sheets and towels that have been line dried in the sun!
Mavis Butterfield says
It’s the only one we’ve ever had. I love it.
HollyG says
We have one just like that – love it! It’s tucked away for winter but we also have a ‘Sheila maid’ pulley dryer and a couple of accordion drying racks in the house (we dry lots of herb and seed heads) for those damp PNW days (October – July).
Lindsey says
In Fairbanks, Alaska, we are on our third day not leaving the house because of a heavy snow, followed by rain, followed by freezing and today snow again. The schools, the university, all government services, and portions of the military base have shut down. Some areas have not had power for three days. We cannot get out of our driveway, but we have not lost power. Glad we have a generator, just in case.
Christine Carr says
How much can you save per year by not using the electric dryer? Our electric bill has really gone up in the Midwest this year and I would love to save some money, plus I always loved the way Grandma’s sheets smelled.
Mavis Butterfield says
That’s a good question. Our electric bill has been about $80 a month here so far {with 2 a/c units going all day in the summer} so it will be interesting to see how much it will be during the winter months. We probably won’t be able to tell the savings until next summer when we can compare usage.
SueD says
I love my outdoor airer. I’ve had the one like yours, but when I saw the one that is rectangular, I went with it and love it. I sometimes have to line dry a lot of fabric yardage, and it does the trick. Mine does rotate.
As to hanging the whites, I always put the pants on the lines closest to the pole, followed by T-shirts.
Jilly says
Fall. We usually skip it around here in Quirkyville aka Yucaipa Ca. So Ca. Citrus belt. The Line Fire had us stuck inside for about a month, plus we learned our house is not sealed up all as well as we thought. High today of 87 with a low of 53…good for the citrus. By the time it cools down around here the rains will hit us with a bit of snow here and there. And to think it was my idea to move closer to my son so my husband could go back to college…long story. I so miss the beautiful San Diego weather and the beach. La Jolla and Coronado Island were my favorites.
Can’t you get a cover for the clothesline?? We do not have one…too many birds.
Mandy says
My great aunt used to bury coffee cans full of money in the backyard. She did it for over 50 years. She always said that you can’t trust banks. At one point she said that she had so many coffee cans in the backyard that there was no more room, so she started putting money in the freezer. She was quite wealthy, and filled up her little freezer above her refrigerator to the point where she couldn’t put anything but money in it anymore. She ended up having to buy a stand-up freezer for her actual groceries and then ended up filling over half of that with cash. She died about 10 years ago and I never did think to ask what happened with all those coffee cans and all that cash stored in her freezer. I’m hoping her family found it. Her house was in the middle of an RV and motorhome sales lot. She lived in the middle of a big city here in Oregon. What a fun find for someone if the kids didn’t find it all!
NeeNee says
I love my clothes line
But I did just buy a one and done washer dryer combo it’s heat pump technology and a huge money saver ! One machine washes and dries the clothes
I loved when you said WE need to put up the clothes line but you really meant him!! I do the exact same thing it works pretty well!!
Hahaha
Linda Sand says
When hanging clothes outside in the winter it is important not to bring them in if they are stiff. That’s frozen water that will thaw when inside. Our daughter taught me you have to wait until the clothes are soft before bringing them in.
I love your smaller yard and am looking forward to seeing what you do with it.
Jennifer says
Hey Mavis! Great timing of this post… we want to purchase a clothesline and I told my husband that you had posted about one previously but I couldn’t remember the brand. Do you find the 9′ “just right” for a family of 2? Or do you have room to spare? We are a family of 3 and don’t wash a ton weekly, but do was all the laundry on the weekends. Do you feel it could hold 2 average sized loads at the same time?
Mavis Butterfield says
The 9 foot clothesline is just right for us. I hang the first load and then by the time the next one is ready to hang it seems like some of the lighter items are ready to bring inside and fold. There is really a lot of room to hold clothing.
Linda says
Mama taught me to hang panties and bras on the inside lines with other clothing on the outside lines. We had four long lines. I did the same when I had a clothesline. Well, I have a wonderful one here, I just cannot get out to it or stand to hang things. I am so glad you did not concrete the base into the ground! Your husband seems to quite precise work.
Gayle says
I need to replace my current clothes line and have some questions. Is it heavy and awkward to remove and install the pole? And where do you store it? Does it come with a cover, like a grill, to keep it clean? I’m 70 and weigh about 100 lbs. I hand almost everything out so this is a major consideration. Thanks !
Mavis Butterfield says
It does not come with a cover. We store it in the barn. I don’t think it’s too heavy. Here is a link to a video though of putting the pole in the ground and opening the clothesline. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FnpNCH7Eds
Gayle says
I have another question, is the link you provided to the company or Amazon? Or?
Mavis Butterfield says
The company that makes them. 🙂 It is less expensive to order directly from the company and they include free shipping.
Sue S. says
So my one-line, strung-between-2-trees clothesline recently deteriorated plus it’s over a line of growing rhododendrons and azaleas and I’m torn – do I tear them out and replace the clothesline, or go with one like you just put in. I was going to have a custom-built structure put up behind the garage but It’s too much money. Thank you for the reference!
Diane says
I was expecting to see the grass dug up all along the fence. Where did you plant those 2000 bulbs? I know some went in pots, but most of them must’ve gone in the ground. Would love to see a sketch of how you laid out the flowerbeds.
I bought a couple hundred bulbs this year and now trying to figure out where to put them all. I think I’m going to buy one of those augers to drill holes in the ground since it hurts my hands to do much digging.
Your energy to do projects puts me to shame! Ha!
Mavis Butterfield says
Most were planted in the front beds and along the front side of the house. I wanted to be done with gardening projects for the year so some of the ones that are in pots will be moved to the “new” beds that will be dug up along the fence in the spring.