The air smells different in the fall. Gone are the sweet smells of new grass and flowers, replaced with the crisp smells of dusty leaves and hay. To some people, that means allergies and shutting the windows. To me it means deep sleeps with the windows open at night and slipping into line-dried sheets on the bed. I’d feel a little virtuous air-drying my sheets if it actually weren’t so self-serving. The sheets are crisp because they weren’t tumbled and the smell of the outdoors lingers in the cotton. It beats a Bounce sheet any day. And I’m convinced that sunlight makes the sheets whiter.
I’m fortunate to have a line outside in the mostly open. There are some line-drying hazards of the critter variety. Passing birds are the worst mess; it always means rewashing. But that’s only happened to me once or twice. More common is stink bugs; I stop hanging the sheets out during stink bug season. My ex once got stung by a bee that was undetected and got folded inside a shirt like a week earlier. (This is funnier today now that he’s an ex.)
As good as line-dried sheets are in the fall, they get even better in the winter and are worth the cold hands I get hanging them. You might think they’d just freeze, but they will actually dry, given enough time and sunshine. OK, I’ve now made myself tired writing this. Time to write about exercise.
I’m fortunate to have a line outside in the mostly open. There are some line-drying hazards of the critter variety. Passing birds are the worst mess; it always means rewashing. But that’s only happened to me once or twice. More common is stink bugs; I stop hanging the sheets out during stink bug season. My ex once got stung by a bee that was undetected and got folded inside a shirt like a week earlier. (This is funnier today now that he’s an ex.)
As good as line-dried sheets are in the fall, they get even better in the winter and are worth the cold hands I get hanging them. You might think they’d just freeze, but they will actually dry, given enough time and sunshine. OK, I’ve now made myself tired writing this. Time to write about exercise.