A Sign of Spring 2010 vs 2011



hanging out laundry 3/15/2011

As the days get longer, the weather warmer and the sun brighter one of my favorite things to do is hang fresh washed laundry outdoors on the line to dry. Yesterday, 3/15/2011, (with temperature predicted to be near 50's and sunny) proved to be a perfect day for my early spring ritual. The jeans got washed and hung out by noon. Having plans for being gone the rest of the day the responsibility of picking them up rolled over to the man of the house. As instructed (by me) he picked them up between 4:00 - 5:00 pm dry for folding. I couldn't help but take a deep smell from them for sheer enjoyment as soon as I got back home. Ah, the fresh smell of laundry hung out to dry, it's a beautiful thing.

hanging out laundry 3/12/2010

Although it's no contest, I look forward to reaching this date earlier in the season each year. Last year my first hang out was 3/12/2010 so the dates were darn close! Last year this time there was much more snow on the ground but the temperature that day reached 61 degrees.

The peonies and lillies pushing up through the ground lift my spirits! I'm sure all my fellow gardeners out there are chomping at the bit just like me wanting to get outside. Sunday March 20, 2011 at 7:21PM EDT or 11:21PM Universal Time, is the official day of spring. Get out of my way, here I come!

Here's a tip to those who share the love of hanging laundry outdoors: The clothes pin baskets purchased in the stores aren't very sturdy so if you have any sewing talent, make your own. I made one using some very sturdy material I had sitting around by improvising from a free on-line pattern; you're able to custom make it for size and strength. Make it a point to bring it indoors after use to protect it from the elements and it will serve you many, many years. This is the third year of life for mine and it's still in great shape. If you're interested, a website for checking out is: http://tipnut.com/11-free-clothespin-bag-patterns/