Laughter Over Laundry
Posted By FarmerJ on October 5, 2009
I couldn’t help but chuckle while hanging laundry on the solar dryer ~ remembering an exchange I’d had with a member of the upcoming generation. How things have changed through the generations!
A couple of weeks ago, I had an opportunity to spend a few hours with a third grader. A very intelligent third grader, and a girl, at that. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m more of a ‘boy’ mom than a ‘girl’ mom. I don’t really know what to do with girls, you know?
It was a pretty September day ~ truly the best time of year here in Nebraska. I was busy weeding flower beds, harvesting things from the garden, pruning runners from the trees, just getting odds and ends done around the yard. This lovely young lady had grown bored of helping her dad, so she wandered over to where I was working and offered her assistance.
Honestly, I truly enjoyed her company…and her help. She is just a delightful girl, quite capable of carrying on a mature conversation. She even had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion.
She told me she hadn’t spent a lot of time around a ‘farm’ before, and I could tell she was taking in every thing she possibly could before her dad returned her to their city home. She was very intrigued by the okra plants, and explained to me how much she enjoyed eating watermelon and tomatoes. We set her up with a trunk load of goodies in her dad’s car so she could snack with her mom’s permission.
At one point, she says, “I see you have clothes hanging on the clothesline. Is that just for show?”
“No, Sweetie, that isn’t just for show. I hang the clothes on the line to take advantage of that great Nebraska wind and save energy. Plus, the clothes smell so fresh and tend to last longer not having to withstand the harsh heat of an electric or gas dryer.” I could tell she was pondering that for a moment ~ the farmstead is wonderful at providing things to ponder, you know.
Now, I’m afraid, I will never again be able to hang clothes on the line without giggling just a little. That’s not such a bad thing, though, is it?
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ROFL! Too funny! Love it!
Many more “city” people are starting to use clothes lines and clothes drying racks to both save money and to do their part to cut CO2 emmissions. It is great that you introduced this little girl to so many wonderful things.