Hanging up the clothes

Hanging up clothes to dry is an activity that I have always enjoyed.  Somehow it represents a slow-paced leisurely way of life.  It also makes me think about my childhood, playing in the yard while my mom hung up clothes to dry.  So it has a nostalgic feel to it.  In the last few years, I’ve not been able to really enjoy hanging up clothes.  It seems I was always in a rush and had to do it quickly.  Somehow I felt cheated. 

So in retirement I am enjoying hanging up clothes to dry.  I am able to wait until the weather cooperates to wash clothes.  So this past week, I did three loads on Wednesday because the weather was good instead of the predicted rain.  It also feels like a righteous activity.  It is good for the environment, it saves me money on my utility bill, and it extends the life of clothes, sheets, and towels.  I pop towels and clothes into the dryer for a few minutes and it makes them soft and takes out the wrinkles.  In some ways, hanging up clothes to dry is like gardening – it doesn’t take a lot of brainpower and is therapeutic.

This past week I have been working on getting Magnum (six months today 10/29) out among humans to work on his shyness, which is a new occurrence. He’s gotten used to humans in his classes and at the dog club, maybe because they are with dogs. I started with walking him on the bike path where we see folks walking, biking, running, and see other dogs.  Living in the country we are isolated so he is like a country bumpkin.  He stopped on the bike path to watch men getting out of trucks doing work at Antioch.  Today we took him to the farmers’ market where he was able to meet a number of people and several lovely dogs.  He’s doing much better.  Then we took him to The Dancing Goat, formerly Brother Bear, for Alan’s java and cider for me.  He did great in doing what we in Yellow Springs take great pride in doing – hanging out – as we sat outside on a bench. 

Monday, when I go to visit with my grandson and his parents, Magnum will go to work with A.  My job for the rest of the week is to plan other ways for him to interact with humans each day – visiting pet-friendly stores, the bike path, and walking around town and hanging out.