Hang me out to dry, I don't care

I never thought I would say this: The weather has been perfect the past couple of days.

Normally I wouldn't say that breezy, low 70s is my ideal summer day. I usually root for steamy hot temperatures to help me erase the memory of our bitter Michigan winters. But that was before I started hanging laundry. It is the perfect weather for hanging laundry out to dry.

I came to hanging laundry kind of begrudgingly. My husband mentioned it a couple of times awhile back, but my eye rolling kind of quieted the idea. You see, my in-laws have hung their laundry for years, so my husband grew up with crusty towels and pants that can stand on their own.

But it wasn't the fear of scratchy clothes that was holding me back.

I just didn't like the look of a laundry line in my backyard. I envisioned the old rusty posts of years past. Yuck. Plus, we don't have a huge yard, and I didn't want to waste good kid-playing space with my laundry line.

I also worried about what the neighbors might say. We live in a suburban neighborhood, and hanging all my clothes for prying eyes to see just didn't seem sensible. (Check this clip from the Colbert Report for a laugh about a community's fight over a laundry line.)

But since our kids have come into the picture, I have done a lot of crazy things. In an effort to teach them about being careful stewards of our Earth, I guess I have learned a few things, too.

So, on a trip to Menards looking for something entirely different, I stumbled upon laundry lines and found a sleek, retractable kind. Inconspicuous? I liked it! I brought it home, my husband installed it and, ever since, I've been wondering what took me so long.

Sure it's rewarding to know that in some small way I am helping the Earth. And it's good to know I am helping my family financially. (Find out how much hanging laundry really can help.)

But here's a little secret: I like hanging the laundry.

Yes, I really do. I know it sounds odd — friends have told me it is — but it's quiet when you're hanging laundry. No one bothers you during laundry time. They don't want to get caught helping. I've even gotten over the fear of hanging my unmentionables. I try to hang them on the lines between large T-shirts. Hidden and discreet. That's the way I like to hang my laundry.

Still, there's something soothing about standing out on a breezy, sunny, summer day, the trees rustling. You can get lost in thought. Or have no thoughts at all.

Then I open the back door to the sounds of fighting kids, the phone ringing or a barking dog. My moment is over.

Luckily, there's always another load of laundry.