Laundry Made Fun

A couple of weeks ago,
I was scanning some local ads on Next Door,
which is similar to Craig's List,
except that it contains items relevant to your immediate area.
It's fun once in a while to see what bargains might be out there,
or things that people are giving away that we might be able to repurpose.
It was quite surprising to find a patio set listed for $40,
so we went to see it and ended up purchasing it.
It looks brand new, 
and although I wasn't really thinking about buying deck furniture,
this just fell into our lap.
What does that have to do with laundry, you ask?
Bear with me...

 Well, one of the items on my wanna have list,
was a clothesline.
I had one in Florida, even though our HOA tried to keep us from having one.
(It's against the law to prohibit clotheslines.)
Until now, I've been making do here with one large drying rack,
setting it out on the deck to dry my clothes and linens.
Big K and I talked about how we could make a clothesline work out there,
so that I didn't have to go up and down the steps with a heavy basket of wet clothes.
We stumbled upon this folding clothesline.

One of the most appealing things about it
is the lack of packaging that came with it.
This paper, cardboard box and plastic wrapping paper
are all recyclable.  
How refreshing to have a minimal amount of packaging.

 Contained in the package is this spike which the user
can pound into the ground,
thereby eliminating the need for concrete.
It even comes with a rubber cap to place over the top
when the clothesline is removed for storage.
This prevents critters, dirt or rainwater from getting inside.
The spike just happens to fit in the grooves of our deck.

 The table and chairs I mentioned earlier?
The pole for the clothesline fits perfectly in the hole of the glass table.
Now I can use the clothesline right on the deck,
which is directly off the kitchen.
No need to rig something up or come up with some new idea 
about how to make it work in our application.
Don't you just love when things come together effortlessly?

The clothesline is retractable, so you can store it elsewhere
or purchase a vinyl cover if you'd rather leave it up.

 Another feature I love about this clothesline,
(or rotary dryer, as it's called by the company),
are the notched arms where hangers can be placed
to dry dresses, shirts or sweaters.

 There is plenty of room for a full load,
maybe even two at the same time.
This clothesline is the perfect addition to our homestead.
It makes me look forward to laundry day!

(I'm not compensated by this company,
I just like to keep the good stuff moving.)
Here's 
where you can find out more about this amazing product.

Thrifty Thursday-Eight Earth Day Ideas

Tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the year.
Earth Day.
The day we set aside to honor our dear Mother Earth.
We strive to show respect for our Earthly home on a daily basis.
Over the years, we have made progress on many fronts,
but we still have goals on the horizon.

Here are a few ways we endeavor to do our part:




1.  Use the clothesline for drying laundry-
One of my favorite chores each week involves enjoying the feel of the sun on my back,
hearing the birds singing and knowing that solar power is taking care of drying our clothes.
Not only does it help us save on our electric bill,
it gets me outside first thing so that I can connect with the world around me. 

2.  Water reclamation-
We have three rain barrels in our backyard that collect water
for use in our garden.
A recent addition to our water conservation efforts is to
save the water used from cooking in a coffeepot that is kept on the stovetop.
Whenever veggies are steamed or beans are cooked,
the cooled water gets added to this pot.
Once a week it is used to water patio plants.



3.  Homemade cleaners-
We started making our own cleaning products years ago.
With a child with multiple sensitivities,
it just made sense to create a healthier environment
by ridding our home of toxic solutions.
Aside from the health aspect,
it saves us money and we feel good knowing that we are not
contributing to hazardous mixtures heading for the water source.




4.  Composting any way we can-
Since our HOA frowns on open composting,
we work around it.
We keep our compost scraps in the freezer
in a recycled coffee bin and add the contents
directly to the garden. 

5.  Using what we have to create something useful-
This birdfeeder was created with what was on hand.
A plant stand, some hose and an old cake pan
work well and we didn't have to spend a dime.
Less consumerism means less goes into the landfill.
We enjoy creating functional items 
and not having to buy anything to do it.

6.  Thinking twice before tossing things-
Along with creating new things,
we find new uses for broken items.
These shard feeders are used daily
to feed the birds in our yard
and they work perfectly for that purpose.
Once again, we've saved something
 from being added to the trash pile.




7.  Using everyday items to embellish-

These seed pots, made from toilet paper rolls,
will not only support new life,
but they will be added to the soil
once their job is complete.
Adding a beautiful new plant to the landscape
and nutrients to the earth is a win-win.

8.  Finding your niche-
Creating my handmade daisy totes helps me to
feel a sense of responsibility about how I am leaving this earth.
I have a choice to be part of the problem,
or part of the solution.
In this small way, I feel that I am fostering Mother Earth
by realizing that we must all do something.

I hope you are inspired to start something new
to support the planet. 
If not now, when?

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. Milton Berle
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_inspirational.html

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. Milton Berle
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_inspirational.html

"If opportunity doesn't knock,
build a door."
-Milton Berle

Wordless Wednesday

Maple Hill Hop 2

Welcome to the Maple Hill Hop,
where we share what's going on outside our doors.
Let's get hoppin'!

It's so nice to be able to hang clothes again.

The humidity of summer here makes it impossible,

so there is another reason to celebrate autumn!

Hands down, it's one of my favorite activities around the homestead.

What's goin' on outside your door?

Thrifty Thursday

A while back,

we put up a clothesline,

after finding out that it cannot be prohibited by our HOA.

One small step for us,

one giant leap for Mother Earth.

Hanging clothes out is one of my very favorite daily tasks.

Out there with the birds singing and the breeze blowing

with the sun warming your back,

it just brings a bit of joy into my life.

What can I say, simple things fill my heart.

I'd been thinking about getting an indoor rack for smaller loads

as well as for hanging unmentionables.

 Along with more humid weather coming our way on a regular basis,

it's handy to have one for inside the house

so that we can still use our dryer less.



Lil' Guy  and I took a trip to the thrift store yesterday

and this was waiting for me.

It fits squarely in our bathtub,

but it could easily be used on the patio in cooler weather.

One quick scrubdown and this $1 bargain was ready to use.

I am one happy chick today!

Hope you find something to brighten your day!

Hangin' Us Out to Dry...

If you look at my profile, you may notice

that I'm not exactly thrilled with where we live.

For various reasons, we decided to buy in a gated community. 

~BIG MISTAKE!~

I've posted a few times about our HOA

and the violation notices we've received about

our rain barrel, our lawn (UGH!)

and our sunflowers being too tall.  I kid you not.

Until we are able to sell our house and move north,

we have to make do with where we are.

One of our goals is to reduce our expenses

and use natural resources whenever possible.

I found a loophole in the HOA covenants.

There's a section in the documents

that addresses clotheslines.

That's all I needed to find out.

Recipe for Dry Clothes

Ingredients:

 1 contraband clothesline

 1 hole digger

1 support pole

1 bag each of crushed rock and quick-dry cement

Directions:

Rocks go into the hole...

creating a luscious first layer.

Next comes the cement

Add water, mix well.

 Check for level

Remaining ingredients pieces await the drying cement

Add toppings

Ta-da!

It looks like we'll get to use it this week

as there is not much rain in the forecast.

It feels like one small victory for us

and Mother Nature.

Let's just keep this between us, eh?

**Update**

Whoo-hoo!

(Simple things make me happy.)

I feel like such a renegade...