Just a short while ago, I did not have a clothesline, nor did I have socks that were not gray or black. Today, our clothesline waves proudly off of the back of the house, a pennant of a sort, a look backwards to the future, there is, in fact, nothing sweeter than the smell of fresh clothes off a line.

Clotheslines are illegal in many communities in many states, they are considered unsightly and a mark of the poor. We love our clothesline, and consider it a beautiful addition to the house, we also save a lot of energy when we don’t have to fire up our dryer.

But for me the biggest change is perhaps the socks. I was wedded to the anonymity of male socks, they were just about about covering feed in a somber and businesslike way, it never occurred to me that they could be colorful and bright and make me  smile. Maria bought me my first pair a year ago (from Heather’s shop, Over The Moon), and all of my dark and somber socks are gone.

There is no brighter way to start the day than by putting something original and colorful on my feet. And then to see them all waving so brightly in a soft breeze on our clothesline.