Friday, December 9, 2011

Casualties of Modern Technology_ The Clothes Line (4 of 12)




While recently driving through West Virginia, I noticed that many residents of a small town near the state capital of Charleston (I think it was Cabin Creek, WVa., also the hometown of NBA legend Jerry West of the Los Angeles Lakers) were actually still using clothes lines. This is not something you see very often here in America. But, some environmentalists are encouraging a comeback for the clothes line since it doesn't consume any energy, unlike dryers.

Wikipedia describes a clothes line, not to be confused with the same term in the fashion industry, as 'any type of rope, cord, or twine stretched above the level of a ground. In earlier times, and still perhaps in cities like Venice, Istanbul and Cairo, one may well see clothes lines hovering over balconies as well.

There ia actually a company in Maine called The Clothesline Shop (clotheslineshop.com) which specializing in selling clothes line accesories, including pegs and pins to hold the clothes together.

Another advantage of the clothes line is that it allows clothing to be dried without chemicals. But, the process of using a clothes line is time-consuming and it comes with the risk of vandalism and theft, not to be mention Mother Nature. Yes, we imagine that rain and wind can totally screw the process up!

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