As I adjust to line drying all of our washing, I am soaking up every bit of encouragement I can find. "Keeping House - The Litany of Everyday Life" by Margaret Kim Peterson is a book that was recommended awhile back by Little Jenny Wren???? I can't remember.I have been reading the chapter on "Clothing a Household". On page 100 I found a little gem of encouragement that I needed.
"Putting away things that get daily or weekly use is a way to exercise a kind of providential forsight. We will, in fact, need these things. Every morning, people need something to put on. Having clothes ready to wear in the drawer or in the closet is part of creating a expectation that in this home we care for one another. Our needs are not a personal emergency but are anticipated and provided for ahead of time as a matter of course".
AMEN! I really needed to hear this.
and on page 102:
"Clothing is so basic a reality that simply making sure everyone has something to wear can be a powerful way of making a home a nurturing and hospitable place, a place that helps us remember that we are all on pilgrimage together."
We are adjusting well to our new routines, and it feels so wonderful to not be using so much electricity. We are also handwashing all of our dishes now. The dishwasher has been working poorly for a long time. It requires me to basically prewash all of the dishes anyway, so I am now using the dishwasher only as a giant drying-rack.
Cutting back on our electricity usage in these ways really is fulfilling. We are trying to think of creative ways to simplify just about everything these days.
I pray that you are all having a blessed and productive week. We are enjoying a little bit of rain the past few days. A relief after a month with no rain. Our garden is so grateful.
In God's Love, Tami
We also use our dishwasher as a giant drying rack. ((smiles))
ReplyDeleteI am very content right now with not using the dryer. Come winter, I might use it some, especially with the cloth diapers. Quite frankly, I'm not looking forward to it.
The book sounds like a good read. I got inspired just reading what you quoted here (and a few more pages from Amazon). We could all use that motivation, I think.
Have a blessed and productive week to you also.
Very much enjoyed this post,
Flo
Dear Tami,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that you are saving electricity but you are also finding enjoyment in the tasks that need to be performed everyday.
God bless!
mari
I am definitely ordering this book to share with my younger friends - I love the part you quoted and wish someone had told me that when I was beginning the journey!
ReplyDeleteBut I had to smile that you have a choice about dishwashers and dryers. After nearly 30 years in Japan I have almost forgotten there is such a thing as a dishwasher! And the only time I see a dryer is on our vacation - but its VERY SMALL and we only use it for emergencies.