A clothesline was a news forecast to neighbors passing by
There were no secrets you could keep when clothes were hung to dry.

It also was a friendly link for neighbors always knew
If company had stopped on by to spend a night or two.

For then you'd see the fancy sheets and towels on the line;
You'd see the comp'ny tablecloths with their intricate design.

The line announced a baby's birth to folks who lived inside;
As brand new infant clothes were hung so carefully with pride.

The ages of the children could so readily be known;
By watching how the sizes changed, you'd know how much they'd grown.

It also told when illness struck as extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes and a bathrobe, too, haphazardly were strung.

It said, "Gone on vacation now!" when the lines hung limp and bare.
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged with not an inch to spare.

New folks in town were scorned upon if their wash was dingy gray;
As neighbors raised their brows and looked disgustedly away.

But clotheslines now are of the past for dryers make work less.
Today what goes on inside a home is anybody's guess.

I really miss that way of life... it was a friendly sign;
When neighbors knew each other best by what hung on the line!
author: Marilyn Ferguson

Growing up in the Country we always had clotheslines and Saturday was our wash day. The lines would be filled with very bright-white clothes and bright fresh colored ones. My Mother made sure that they were hung in a very particular and precise manner..... I remember the fresh scent of the clothes that were hung out in the sunshine...the sheets were so crisp and the pillow cases ironed to perfection. From the time I was tall enough to reach the clotheslines, it was my job to help hang up the clothes and also take them indoors when they dried to be folded neatly and put away. The starched clothes for ironing were then sprinkled with water and rolled into a ball and put into a large plastic bag to be ironed. My Mother ironed everything!! I learned to iron at a very young age, beginning with the handkerchiefs and pillowcases and other flat pieces. How I would love once again to sleep in one of my Mothers sunshine fresh scented beds..... THOSE WERE THE DAYS!.....Wanda Yes, I still have a clothesline today...!