The Amish family that we bought the farm from used the garage/shop building as a laundry. She has a gas powered wringer washer and her husband had built a beautiful 4 line clothesline that is anchored to be tight under a heavy load.
I have mental health issues because 'I' loved the Clothesline on sight! We both like sun dried clothes and at the old place there was a rickety Clothesline that sagged horribly and would only hold 1 load of clothes at a time.
When we saw how the Amish used the shop we thought we would try that approach. It gives us room for a small house deep freeze in the laundry area in the home and if the weather is bad there are lines in the shop to hang at least one load of laundry.
The view from my laundry room.
We have been quite busy and using up our store of clean clothes until I just had to do laundry. This morning as the sun came up with hints of a glorious day to come, I set up the washer. It is jury rigged as we were not sure if it would work but it does. There are a few issues...I have no cap for the cold water line and it drains a bit, I am catching that overflow in a pail to use for the chicks.
I need to make some sort of bracket to hold the drain hose at the right height and yet where it reaches the drain outside, and yes we are going to have to get biodegradable laundry products.
It does not look glamorous but I am on load #5, and as it washes I post a blog, watch Ralph flail mow the yard and listen to the poultry chirp, cheep and sqawk.
As to the clothesline...it is wonderful. It has slackened off bit and I will need to tighten the turnbuckles but I can hang the laundry, all I am doing with room to spare. The t shirts don't sag and there is room to hang sheets!
Okay I am airing my laundry but it's not dirty laundry! We all think of things we are going to do to make a property more suitable to our needs. This time though we are adapting to this property and how it has been used. The plan to do the laundry in our garage-shop-poultry palace- utility building looks like it will work well. And seriously how could I ever have a better view doing something as mundane as laundry?
Happy Wash day everyone!
Oh, that beautiful tree! I am a fan of great clotheslines, too. We have lived in places where doing the wash was an act of faith and rube goldberg's creations. Do you remember Rube Goldberg?
ReplyDeleteWhy yes I do remember Rube Goldberg. My father and I used the wringer washer my mother had in the late 60's, occasionally it would give you quite a shock! My father gave me his mother's washboard and it is still one of the best ways to get out stains.
DeleteYes the oak tree just makes everything easier somehow!
Oh I love this idea I love line drying clothes smell. Gas powered washer I never heard of but I used a wringer washer for years here on our farm when we settled in. Hug B
ReplyDeleteThe gas powered washers are very expensive. The one the young Amish woman used was at least second hand if not third. There is a place about 20 miles from here that rebuilds them or converts the electric to gas.
DeleteI just finished sorting and folding the sun dried clothes...they do smell so nice!
Sounds like you are having the time of your life, Fiona, even doing laundry is part of your new, great adventure. Thanks for the view! It's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteFern
I still can't quite get over how beuatiful it is here, a view from every direction and its ours to love and care for. A truly great gift!
Deletethe view from your laundry room hurts my eyes.
ReplyDeleteit is the pain of jealousy!
remember to loosen the turnbuckles a bit as the weather cools.
the lines will tighten of themselves in cold weather.
i just bought a wringer washer from a young man who got it from his gran. haven't used it yet, but am getting what i've wanted for years. gave myself a pressure canner for christmas and bought a small dehydrator at aldi's to try my hand at it.
hoping God will move us in a direction more to my tastes than He has seen fit to do thus far.
as we age i want to get where i am comfortable [applachia] and fit in.
when i was a kid we visited a lady who sat all the ladies on the back porch with an enamel pan each and everyone popped pea pods while the chatting went on apace.
she had two beehives and a nice garden plot.
this has been my ideal ever since.
i've got my enamel pans already, just lacking a house and garden!
hope they are as easy to obtain as the pans were!!
one more thing to get-- a scrubbing board. they are made right here in ohio!
love your web site. so much enjoyment to be got from watching you achieve your dreams. loved the chicken pictures.
I do so hope you can get your dream property soon and get started. The changes although we plan and want them, get to be more of a challenge each year. Thank you for the turnbuckle reminder!
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