Airing Out My Dirty Laundry

Is there anything that smells better than fresh, air-dried linens (especially close to the shore)? I don’t think so.  We got the idea when we were ‘holidaying’ in Tuscany with Luke’s family.  We rented a very nice villa complete with stone floors, beautiful vistas, refreshing (very cold) pool and it even had a laundry line.  It was so amazing to hang our clothing out on this line that stretched between cypress trees and overlooked rolling countryside.

Campo Della Donna, Tuscany, Italy

If you can imagine, that the clothing line was to the direct left of this photo, hung between several trees.  Beautiful, huh?  I hung heaps of clothes on that line because my boys (and I mean all of them) sometimes miss their mouths and we were eating lots of pizza, pastas, lasagnas and gelato.  The freshly hung linens smelled amazing – that gorgeous Tuscan air.

So when we returned to Scituate, the first thing Luke did for me was go to a DIY store and got a very long clothesline to hang between the two trees in our backyard and I love it! Not only is it better for the environment because we aren’t running the electric dryer, but it is better for our clothes – no shrinking, no wear, less fading.  The laundry line also holds a much more personal memory.  One of my grandmother. 

This is my grandmother, Maas.  That is what we all called her, Maas, I’m not really sure why.  She always called me ‘Dolly’.  Growing up, I was very close to my grandmother.  I wear her platinum wedding band each day along with my own and my engagement ring.  The herring bone has worn but the inscription is still there with the year 1933.

Gramps and Maas

When I was John and Conor’s ages, I used to go with my mom to visit Maas every Thursday.  We would help Maas do her shopping, Auntie Ka would read me storybooks, we’d have Antonio’s cheese pizza and I’d get to wash it down with pink milk.  Strawberry Quik was a special thing I only had at Maas’ house.  Even though we were visiting, Maas and Auntie Ka had chores to get done and we’d usually help them hang out or take in the laundry.

Now, when I go to hang the laundry out, I’m always reminded of Maas.  As my whole body reaches up to the line, trying to navigate the wooden peg on the tightly stretch cord, when the dappled light hits my eyes I’m reminded of her.  I miss her so very much and wish she could meet my sons, two of her great grandchildren.  Hopefully, she can see them from up there.