Gardening, A Clothesline, and Ceiling Fans

The clouds and rain have moved on. Finally. The wind we've been dealing with since last week no doubt pushed both the clouds and the rain away. The garden soil is now cracking from dryness, but thankfully both of my water barrels are full, so I can water liberally without feeling like I'm wasting money watering my plants. The two lettuces, the spinach, the peas, and the herbs are sprouting. So far, nothing is showing for the potatoes. I haven't grown potatoes in many, many years, so I won't be too surprised if I end up with none at the end of the season. They're a little different from other plants, and I'm not sure I got them in the right way. All in all, the garden is coming along.

Retractable Clothesline
My new retractable clothesline is in place, allowing me to stretch it over the garden plantings to dry clothes. Once they're dry, I can release the cord, and it will wind itself in its housing, out of the way when not needed. My hope is to not use the dryer at all this summer. I'm very curious to see what our electric bill will look like by not using the dryer, and if I can get the family on board, I'd like to not use the air conditioner. Today, with the almost-90 degree heat, lots of complaining could be heard, but with a strong breeze blowing, the inside of the house didn't get terribly uncomfortable. While I'm not fond of sweating while trying to sleep, I do think we can manage. The boys' room only has one window, making cooling their room difficult. My plan for that is a ceiling fan. I'm amazed at what the ceiling fan in my bedroom has done to cool things off, so hopefully one in the boys' room will have the same effect.

Still some gardening to get in place, which will begin tomorrow now that I'm completely finished with the semester. I submitted grades today, turned in hard copies to my boss, then paid everyone adieu. I'll pop into the office now and then over the summer to clean and get things in order for the fall, but as of today, I am officially on summer break. Let the fun begin.

Comments

Natalia said…
You have been hard at work in the garden. Do post some pics, as it would be lovely to see them. I do miss not being able to peg out the clothes- there is something quite magical about getting them off the line, kissed by the sun. The retractable clothes line seems really cool. How does it work exactly?
May 10, 2011 at 7:57 PM
JK said…
I agree with you; the fresh smell created by the sun's heat and a breeze is wonderful. With the line, I just pull it out, wrap it around a small piece just under the housing that helps keep it taut, then stretch it across and attach it to the hook. When it's not needed, I can unhook it, unwrap it, and let it retract back into the housing. I went with the cheapo kind to start, just to see how it goes. So far, I love it.
May 10, 2011 at 9:14 PM
Christina said…
I've been wanting to get a clothesline too. I checked at Walmart and didn't see one in the laundry section. I'll go to home Depot and see if they have one. I want to reduce the electric bill too and in the heat here it will probably take as much time to dry anyways.
May 16, 2011 at 7:32 AM
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