Hanging Out the Laundry…and other lost arts…

Often when I hand out the laundry, I think about my mom. She has been gone 30 years. She worked very hard all of her life and she did not have many modern conveniences for most of the time that she was raising 4 children (including indoor plumbing). I remember her handing out laundry all year round. I don’t even remember how they dried. I just remember helping her – on a small step ladder – as a little girl. I still hang out laundry as much as I can (not in winter) and NOT towels (they are definitely NOT fluffy off the line).
I think there are lots of lost “arts ” that were part of my childhood that we might want to consider bringing back. I am ALL for modern conveniences. I don’t want to beat my clothes on a rock or cook over an open fire, but there are a few things that I think could make a great comeback.

1. Growing some of our own food – a lettuce garden, an herb garden, even a patio tomato plant.
2. Living with less – less plastic, less stuff, shop for what you need – fixing things instead of throwing away and replacing.
3. Handwritten thank you cards and letters – using a little snail mail or even hand delivering cards and letters.
4. Baking instead of buying – try baking some bread or muffins.
5. Family dinners and homemade food – cutting WAY back on processed food…..shop the edges of the grocery store…make your own chicken fingers and TURN OFF those screens.
6. Old-fashioned board game nights with family or friends.
7. Homemade gifts and visiting friends – delivering food to a family if there is sickness or sadness.
8. Hobbies for kids and adults – playing the piano, sewing, painting – definitely sports, but less emphasis on travel teams and making it big and more emphasis on having fun and staying fit
9. Family walks and hikes and bike rides – finding fun stuff that doesn’t cost a lot of money.
10. Phones for communication, not scrolling and definitely not at the table or attached to us constantly.