OT: What tangled lines we weave!



S

Sheryl Rosen

Guest
Today was a beautiful, unseasonably mild day, about 45 degrees and bright and sunny.

I have about 5 sets of sheets for my bed. It's nice because I can change the sheets without having
to wash them right away. The weather hasn't been nice enough to hang sheets out in quite awhile, so
I've had a big bag of sheets and pillowcases begging to be washed (I don't have a dryer). My plan
for today was to wash them at home and then bring them to the laundromat to use their dryer. But
when I woke up, I realized it was going to be a nice windy, sunny day and therefore, perfect to hang
the sheets out!

I washed 2 sets in the machine and hung them out this morning, making certain each item had 3-4
clothespin on it, so they wouldn't come off the line and land on the grass below.

About 3pm, I went out back to check on them, and discovered the wind had wound the sheets around the
lines, which were now tangled and couldn't be moved!!!!

I tried a few things, no avail, then went out to run errands.

When I got home, my landlady came out and said "You didn't use your brains!....on a windy day, you
don't put the clothespin on the sheets, because this is what happens". Whatever. I thought I was
doing the right thing by clipping them so securely to the line. I went upstairs, (i'm on the second
floor) and thought seriously about calling the fire department to see if they could come over with
their cherry-picker to unclip the stuff from the line and rescue my laundry. I mean, it's not that
far off from rescuing a cat up a tree, is it?

Then I started shaking the lines, hoping the movement would knock some of the clothes pins off,
therefore making it easier to get the laundry to unwind back around the other way. One did pop off,
which gave me hope.

Well, anyway, at this point, the landlady is on her porch, below mine, looking up at me, not
offering anything constructive ("Don't break the lines...I'm not paying to have someone come and put
them back up!"), and even Mandy had pounced onto the bedroom window, watching this spectacle from
inside the warm apartment.

Understand, this was hysterically funny, even though it was kinda pathetic!

I managed to tug good and hard on the line to bring the first pillow case close enough to tug it off
the line. The clothespins popped off (broken, of course) and that freed up another foot of line. I
tugged some more, and brought the laundry closer. Each time somethign came off the line, the lines
got more untangled and easier to budge. Long story short, the laundry is here, the line is still
intact, and I didn't have to call the fire department! Oh, sure, I lost about half a dozen
clothespins, but what can I do? At least I have my fresh, sunshine-smelling sheets inside, and not
permanently stuck out on the line!!!!

Anyway, thought someone might get a kick out of a funny story.

OB FOOD: Meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner, using the meatloaf recipe I posted last week.
 
Sheryl Rosen wrote:

> their dryer. But when I woke up, I realized it was going to be a nice windy, sunny day and
> therefore, perfect to hang the sheets out!
>
> I washed 2 sets in the machine and hung them out this morning, making certain each item had 3-4
> clothespin on it, so they wouldn't come off the line and land on the grass below.
>
> About 3pm, I went out back to check on them, and discovered the wind had wound the sheets around
> the lines, which were now tangled and couldn't be moved!!!!
>
> I tried a few things, no avail, then went out to run errands.
>
> When I got home, my landlady came out and said "You didn't use your brains!....on a windy day, you
> don't put the clothespin on the sheets, because this is what happens".

What a busybody. Tell her mind her own business or you'll go out and buy more electrical appliances.

(laugh) nancy
 
in article [email protected], John Gaughan at
[email protected] wrote on 12/27/03 7:49 PM:

> Sheryl Rosen wrote:
>> I don't have a dryer
>
> They only cost about $250 for a decent one and are worth every penny ;-)

No space, for one thing. And actually, except for drying sheets and tablecloths in the winter, I
don't miss it.

My linen closet smells SOOO WONDERFUL!!! from outside drying.

And even in winter, when I have to dry the clothes in front of the heat vent--it's no big deal. I
use fabric softener so the garments are not stiff. I hang things up damp from the washer, go off and
do other things, and by the time I'm ready to deal with the clothes, everything is dry, no problem.

And I rarely have to iron, all I do is smooth the wrinkles with my hand when the clothes are damp
when I hang them up, by the time they are dry, they are wrinkle free. When i used the dryers at the
laundromat, I had to make sure the stuff was taken out IMMEDIATELY and even then, I often had to
iron when I got home.

I was a dyed in the wool dryer girl, I always laughed at my friends who line dried their clothes.
Until I got myself a slightly used washing machine just over a year ago. I was so grateful not to
have to schlep to the laundromat, that I "settled" for air drying. And once I moved to my current
apartment and discovered outdoor line drying, I'm HOOKED! You really can smell the fresh air and
sunshine in your clothes!

Not only is air drying much more economical (air and sunshine are free and my landlady pays for the
heat) AND kinder to the environment, it's also gentler to my clothes.

Like I said, I don't miss the dryer. Not one bit. Except when it come to sheets in the winter. And
even then, there will always be a well-timed unseasonably mild day, and I learned how to hang sheets
today!!! (fold at the bottom, clips on the opening at the top....the double weight at the bottom
apparently keeps the sheet from blowing too much).
 
in article [email protected], Nancy Young at
[email protected] wrote on 12/27/03 6:46 PM:

> What a busybody. Tell her mind her own business or you'll go out and buy more electrical
> appliances.
>
> (laugh) nancy

Yeah, she'd freak if I brought a dryer in here!

She told me a story about how a bird **** on her clothes on the line once, so she never dries
outside anymore, only on the porch or in the basement. She also told me about a neighbor who found
out, the hard way, that when he took his shorts in off the line, there was a bee napping inside
them. When he put them on, the bee went nuts...poor guy wound up at the hospital!

That's just her way, I guess. And she wonders why her sons only come around to drive her to the
store. She's not a bad person, I think she does genuinely care, she is just very nosy and very gruff
in her delivery.
 
In article <BC13976E.41A53%[email protected]>,
Sheryl Rosen <[email protected]> wrote:

> in article [email protected], John Gaughan at [email protected] wrote on
> 12/27/03 7:49 PM:
>
> > Sheryl Rosen wrote:
> >> I don't have a dryer
> >
> > They only cost about $250 for a decent one and are worth every penny ;-)
>
> No space, for one thing. And actually, except for drying sheets and tablecloths in the winter, I
> don't miss it.
>
> My linen closet smells SOOO WONDERFUL!!! from outside drying.
>
> And even in winter, when I have to dry the clothes in front of the heat vent--it's no big deal. I
> use fabric softener so the garments are not stiff. I hang things up damp from the washer, go off
> and do other things, and by the time I'm ready to deal with the clothes, everything is dry, no
> problem.
>
> And I rarely have to iron, all I do is smooth the wrinkles with my hand when the clothes are damp
> when I hang them up, by the time they are dry, they are wrinkle free. When i used the dryers at
> the laundromat, I had to make sure the stuff was taken out IMMEDIATELY and even then, I often had
> to iron when I got home.
>
> I was a dyed in the wool dryer girl, I always laughed at my friends who line dried their clothes.
> Until I got myself a slightly used washing machine just over a year ago. I was so grateful not to
> have to schlep to the laundromat, that I "settled" for air drying. And once I moved to my current
> apartment and discovered outdoor line drying, I'm HOOKED! You really can smell the fresh air and
> sunshine in your clothes!
>
> Not only is air drying much more economical (air and sunshine are free and my landlady pays for
> the heat) AND kinder to the environment, it's also gentler to my clothes.
>
> Like I said, I don't miss the dryer. Not one bit. Except when it come to sheets in the winter. And
> even then, there will always be a well-timed unseasonably mild day, and I learned how to hang
> sheets today!!! (fold at the bottom, clips on the opening at the top....the double weight at the
> bottom apparently keeps the sheet from blowing too much).
>

And your underthings will last much longer... Dryers are hell on elastic. :)

K. (afellow line dryer for many years...)

--
^ ^ Cat's Haven Hobby Farm ^ ^ [email protected] ^ ^
>,,< >,,< >,,<
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> Sheryl Rosen wrote:
> > I don't have a dryer
>
> They only cost about $250 for a decent one and are worth every penny ;-)
>

I suspect in her case space may be an issue. I've got a full-size stacked unit in the bathroom. The
convenience is beyond defining.
 
in article [email protected], COTTP at
[email protected] wrote on 12/27/03 9:05 PM:

> In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>> Sheryl Rosen wrote:
>>> I don't have a dryer
>>
>> They only cost about $250 for a decent one and are worth every penny ;-)
>>
>
> I suspect in her case space may be an issue. I've got a full-size stacked unit in the bathroom.
> The convenience is beyond defining.
>

Yes, space the biggest concern.

But I have become a huge fan of line drying, today's "adventure" notwithstanding!

I've had my own washing machine for about a year, after almost 7 years of going to the laundromat or
friends/family's houses to wash clothes. The convenience, as you said, is immeasurable.
 
In article <BC13B53C.41A89%[email protected]>,
Sheryl Rosen <[email protected]> wrote:

> in article [email protected], COTTP at
> [email protected] wrote on 12/27/03 9:05 PM:
>
> > In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> >> Sheryl Rosen wrote:
> >>> I don't have a dryer
> >>
> >> They only cost about $250 for a decent one and are worth every penny ;-)
> >>
> >
> > I suspect in her case space may be an issue. I've got a full-size stacked unit in the bathroom.
> > The convenience is beyond defining.
> >
>
> Yes, space the biggest concern.
>
> But I have become a huge fan of line drying, today's "adventure" notwithstanding!
>
> I've had my own washing machine for about a year, after almost 7 years of going to the laundromat
> or friends/family's houses to wash clothes. The convenience, as you said, is immeasurable.
>

Yes, they are... :)

I'd honestly not want to do without my own washing machine, (I own an excellent front loader), but
to me at least, dryers are about as useful as dishwashers. <G>

K.

--
^ ^ Cat's Haven Hobby Farm ^ ^ [email protected] ^ ^
>,,< >,,< >,,<
 
In article <BC13B4C5.41A88%[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> in article [email protected], Katra at [email protected] wrote on
> 12/27/03 8:55 PM:
>
> >
> > And your underthings will last much longer... Dryers are hell on elastic. :)
> >
> > K. (afellow line dryer for many years...)
>
> That's true!!!!!
>
>

Actually dryers are hell on everything. As are washing machines.

Any mechanical agitation of clothes loosens fibers in the clothing, the dryer catches most of that
in the lint basket.

It's occurred to me to start weighing the amount of lint but then so many of the smaller fibers go
right through the screen and outside so it wouldn't be very accurate, unless of course I could
measure that too.

But it's a hazard of modern living I suppose. Until such time as petroleum runs out and we're left
hunting for new sources of energy (ITER is promising but still about 7 or so years off - and that's
only a test platform per se.) I'll continue to use the dryer because a clothesline is impractical
here. One of the drawbacks of city living.
 
Sheryl Rosen <[email protected]> wrote:
> Anyway, thought someone might get a kick out of a funny story.

> OB FOOD: Meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner, using the meatloaf recipe I posted last week.

Thanks for sharing the story Sheryl. My day was about as crappy as could be on Saturday. I spent
most of the day trying to revive a failed computer at work. I didn't finish by 5:30 and I had to
leave to run some errands. I had not eaten since breakfast.

Anyway, my sister enlisted me to check in on her two cats while she's away so I headed over to her
apartment. I found one cat sitting in the bedroom under my sister's disk staring at me. The other
cat was sitting in the litter box. Both cats had recently been spayed and had their front class
removed so my sister was very concerned that I check in on them each day. I decided to sit down for
a few minutes and wait for the cat in the litter box to finish her duty. I also brought a package of
Whiska's wet cat food for them which I put in a spare cat food dish.

While I was sitting waiting for the cat to finish in the litter box, I fell sound asleep. An hour
later, I woke up and the cat was still in the litter box just sitting there relaxing. It seemed
okay. So I flipped on my sister's TV and watched a movie that had Robert Dinero in it. Come 10:30pm
when the movie was over, the cat was still sitting in the litter box. I never saw a cat sit in the
litter box for such a long period of time and I was concerned that it couldn't move so after about
four hours of waiting for that cat (yes, I am patient), I gently picked her up and she hissed at me
and I placed her on my sister's sofa. The cat wasted no time in scampering into the bedroom so I
figured she was okay and I put my coat on, locked up the apt. and went home. I was going to call my
sister to ask her about this, but I figured she'll be home tonight and I did not want to alarm her,
plus by the time I got home where I have my sister's cell phone number, it was 11:00pm and I figured
she would probably be sleeping already.

So that was my day, running a few errands in the morning, working for about five hours, then
spending about five hours at my sister's apartment with her two cats. Today, I am going a bit of
last minute Xmas shopping (yeh, I know Xmas has passed already) and visiting some relatives who live
about an hour away from me.
 
in article [email protected], [email protected] at
[email protected] wrote on 12/28/03 7:07 AM:

> Sheryl Rosen <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Anyway, thought someone might get a kick out of a funny story.
>
>> OB FOOD: Meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner, using the meatloaf recipe I posted last week.
>
> Thanks for sharing the story Sheryl. My day was about as crappy as could be on Saturday. I spent
> most of the day trying to revive a failed computer at work. I didn't finish by 5:30 and I had to
> leave to run some errands. I had not eaten since breakfast.
>
> Anyway, my sister enlisted me to check in on her two cats while she's away so I headed over to her
> apartment. I found one cat sitting in the bedroom under my sister's disk staring at me. The other
> cat was sitting in the litter box. Both cats had recently been spayed and had their front class
> removed so my sister was very concerned that I check in on them each day. I decided to sit down
> for a few minutes and wait for the cat in the litter box to finish her duty. I also brought a
> package of Whiska's wet cat food for them which I put in a spare cat food dish.
>
> While I was sitting waiting for the cat to finish in the litter box, I fell sound asleep. An hour
> later, I woke up and the cat was still in the litter box just sitting there relaxing. It seemed
> okay. So I flipped on my sister's TV and watched a movie that had Robert Dinero in it. Come
> 10:30pm when the movie was over, the cat was still sitting in the litter box. I never saw a cat
> sit in the litter box for such a long period of time and I was concerned that it couldn't move so
> after about four hours of waiting for that cat (yes, I am patient), I gently picked her up and she
> hissed at me and I placed her on my sister's sofa. The cat wasted no time in scampering into the
> bedroom so I figured she was okay and I put my coat on, locked up the apt. and went home. I was
> going to call my sister to ask her about this, but I figured she'll be home tonight and I did not
> want to alarm her, plus by the time I got home where I have my sister's cell phone number, it was
> 11:00pm and I figured she would probably be sleeping already.
>
> So that was my day, running a few errands in the morning, working for about five hours, then
> spending about five hours at my sister's apartment with her two cats. Today, I am going a bit of
> last minute Xmas shopping (yeh, I know Xmas has passed already) and visiting some relatives who
> live about an hour away from me.
>
>

I've never seen a cat hang out in the litter box, either. That's odd behavior.

She had them declawed? Augh. I dislike that, but they are not my cats. I discourage anyone I can
from doing it. If those two ever accidentally got outside, they'd be helpless. But, Janet didn't ask
for my advice, so I'll refrain from offering anymore. I have found Mandy will not claw the sofa if I
drape afghans over the arms, so that's what I did. She's not that destructive (except when she
decides to kick my when she's had enough belly rubbing...my poor hands! But they heal nicely.)

Sorry you had a crappy day, Stan. At least you're able to get some after-Xmas bargains. That's
always a good thing! And you're a good brother.
 
Sheryl Rosen <[email protected]> wrote:

> I've never seen a cat hang out in the litter box, either. That's odd behavior.

Yes. Its very strange. I will be sure to ask my sister about that when I talk with her tonight.

> She had them declawed? Augh. I dislike that, but they are not my cats. I discourage anyone I can
> from doing it. If those two ever accidentally got outside, they'd be helpless. But, Janet didn't
> ask for my advice, so I'll refrain from offering anymore. I have found Mandy will not claw the
> sofa if I drape afghans over the arms, so that's what I did. She's not that destructive (except
> when she decides to kick my when she's had enough belly rubbing...my poor hands! But they heal
> nicely.)

My sister was initially opposed to the idea of declawing her cats. Both cats are well under two
years old. The necessity for declawing my sister's cats came about because her boyfriend is going to
be sharing her apartment and he has a Shiazu and they're afraid that the cats might harm her BF's
dog if their claws were left intact. If I had it to do again, I would have gotten my cat Fred
declawed when she was a kitten, but its too late now. I have tried draping stuff over my furniture,
but Fred claws right through them.

> Sorry you had a crappy day, Stan. At least you're able to get some after-Xmas bargains. That's
> always a good thing! And you're a good brother.

Thanks. I am fortunate that my sister recognizes my generosity.
 
<[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> Yes. Its very strange. I will be sure to ask my sister about that when I talk with her tonight.
>
>

Kittens often like hanging out in litter boxes as do some adult cats in shelters. When I first got
my cat (who was no longer a kitten--I think she was about 22 months) she did it, too. I think she
felt safe in her litter box (she was from the humane society), and the litter conformed to her body
letting her feel enveloped. I thought it was gross so I made her a little bed in a box and she went
for that, instead.

> My sister was initially opposed to the idea of declawing her cats. Both
cats
> are well under two years old. The necessity for declawing my sister's cats came about because her
> boyfriend is going to be sharing her apartment and he has a Shiazu and they're afraid that the
> cats might harm her BF's dog
if
> their claws were left intact.

That's a very poor excuse for mutilating two cats (and yes, it is mutilation since it involves
*amputation*). If properly introduced, the likelihood of the cats fighting with the dog would have
been small. The use of Feliway would have helped, as would separating the animals for several weeks.
It would have taken a lot of time *and* and patience, but would have been far preferable to
mutilation.

>If I had it to do again, I would have gotten my cat Fred declawed when she was a kitten, but its
>too late now. I have tried draping stuff over my furniture, but Fred claws right through them.
>

You can still teach your cat to stop clawing your furniture. I assume you already have one or more
scratching posts (my cat likes carpeted posts and sisal floor rugs but cardboard doesn't do anything
for her) to encourage her to scratch elsewhere. There are a number of methods people have used to
train their cats to stop scratching furniture--including double-sided tape, spray bottles, citrus-
scented products, aluminium foil, and other spray products available at pet stores. Again, it takes
time and patience.

rona

--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!***
 
in article BC13B4C5.41A88%[email protected], Sheryl Rosen at
[email protected] wrote on 12/27/03 10:16 PM:

> in article [email protected], Katra at [email protected] wrote on
> 12/27/03 8:55 PM:
>
>>
>> And your underthings will last much longer... Dryers are hell on elastic. :)
>>
>> K. (afellow line dryer for many years...)
>
> That's true!!!!!
>

Day two of marvelous weather for late December..... Sheryl did another load of laundry, clothing
this time, and a table cloth. I learned my lesson! I had the fold on the bottom, so it was too heavy
to fly around! No tangles, no casualties!

Life is good.
 
> I've never seen a cat hang out in the litter box, either. That's odd behavior.
>
> She had them declawed? Augh. I dislike that, but they are not my cats. I discourage anyone I can
> from doing it. If those two ever accidentally got outside, they'd be helpless. But, Janet didn't
> ask for my advice, so I'll

Cats with their back claws intact can function just as well outdoors as a cat with claws on all four
paws. They can run just as fast and climb just as well.

I don't like delcawing, either, but one look at a friend's expensive wingback chair cured me. Some
cats take well to substitute scratching items; some don't. If your cat won't use a scratch pad or
scratch post, you'll have ruined furniture.

As to the litter box issue, my cat picked his litter box to die in ... he died of old age, though.

N.
 
On 29 Dec 2003 08:08:26 -0800, [email protected]
(Nancy Dooley) wrote:

>
> I don't like delcawing, either, but one look at a friend's expensive wingback chair cured me.
> Some cats take well to substitute scratching items; some don't. If your cat won't use a scratch
> pad or scratch post, you'll have ruined furniture.
>
There is some sticky tape out now that you put where you don't want the cat to claw. It doesn't look
great, but it sure beats what the item would look like if the cat had its way with it.

Practice safe eating - always use condiments
 
On Sun, 28 Dec 2003 13:29:47 -0600, "Rona Yuthasastrakosol"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>There are a number of methods people have used to train their cats to stop scratching furniture

YES. Send them to China.

Gar
 
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