Declaring it Spring in Upstate NY is always an iffy thing. Just when you think it is safe to pack away the down coats and long underwear, and pull out the shorts and T-shirts you are likely to get nailed with a late April snowstorm.
However I am cautiously optimistic. Crocuses are in bloom.
I’ve finally been able to hang my first load of laundry out on the line here at the new house.
Hanging out laundry always makes me feel so “housewifey” and thrifty. You can save a lot of money by using nature to dry your clothes rather than electricity. The hardest part for me is to plan it out. When I’m using the dryer I can run 4 or 5 loads through in one day and then not worry about it for a week. The clothesline only holds about a load at a time, so I’ll have to get more organized and do a load every couple of days instead.
I might have to crack out the sewing machine and make myself one of these clothespin aprons to make the job a bit easier. It is basically an apron where the entire body of it is also a pocket. Clever eh? Right now I have all my clothespins in one of those lunch sized soft coolers you sometimes get for free as a promotion. I always have to lean over to pull out the pins, which adds wasted movement. (not to mention having to juggle wet laundry half on the line when you run out of pins part way through something). HT to Tipnut for the link to the apron pattern.
Additionally, we’ve started to rake out the flowerbeds and discuss placement of the bales of hay for the vegetable garden in hay bale experiment. I started some seedlings inside under a small grow light. We’ll see how that experiment goes as well.
Great post. I love to hang laundry too. I even washed my clothes on the board and had no electric bill when I lived in a house from the 1800s Frontier days. It was fun being able to do so much all by myself. Have a great week.
Hi! I just found you through An English Major’s Money… And I like your blog a lot. I noticed in your profile that you had a gardneing blog too, but it hasn’t been updated in a few years… do you plan on writing to that one again? We also live upstate and are trying a potted veggie garden for the first time this year. (apartment, upper level)
Oh yea, and about spring… We got snow yesterday morning… 🙁
Spring is starting to spring here too in the UK although like you just when you think it’s safe to out in the garden, whoosh a torential down pour. But then i suppose thats April for you.
I try to use the garden for drying our clothes on but unlike your nice and spacious garden mine is rather er over grown lets say which does tend to make hanging laudry rather a brave expedition but great for the budget. 🙂
Anon-I’ve always liked the theory of doing everything the old fashioned way, but I think some of it would get old pretty quick 🙂
SpillingB- Welcome! I’m glad you found me. To answer your question I started the garden journal really as more of a personal journal, so I could go back and see what I did, when I did it and how it turned out. Since we are in a new house this year and I will be experimenting extensively, I probably will update it some. However it is likely to be rather sporadic, not a regular thing like Frugal Upstate.
Kate-Sounds like your spring is a lot like ours! Binghamton NY (which I live by) is actually one of the cloudiest, rainiest places in the US. When you look up companies who do Solar Power etc, the frequently use Binghamton as an example for places that don’t get a lot of sunshine!