Monday wash day in Eden Hollow, Minnesota, in early October.
IMAGINE MY DELIGHT, being a hanging-laundry-outside fanatic, when I spotted this clothesline recently in southeastern Minnesota. Pure genius, wouldn’t you say, to rig up a contraption like this for reeling laundry outside and back inside?
A close-up on how this clothesline system works.
I photographed this scene in a place marked Eden Hollow as my husband and I were traveling somewhere between Lenora and Canton in Fillmore County on a drive through southeastern Minnesota Amish country.
Given the style and jewel tones of the clothing, I’d say this laundry belonged to an Amish family. Double bonus for me as I also am intrigued by the Amish and their lifestyle.
Happening upon daily snippets of ordinary life like this pleases me for I am given the opportunity to view life as it is, unedited and real.
The pulley system, rigged to a post in the front yard on one end. I couldn’t see the other end.
© Copyright 2012 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Thanks for posting these pictures! I also am inspired by their life. My husband made me a pulley system for hanging our laundry but it was probably 1/4 the size of this one! It has broken and I really miss the summer breeze scent on the sheets!
How interesting that you also have a pulley system. Now that it’s turned colder here in Minnesota, my hanging out of the wash is limited to sunny days. But I do utilize my indoor clothes drying rack a lot now.
Love your closing words, “…I am given the opportunity to view life as it is, unedited and real.” Those small details, mundane though they may be, are the very things that touch us, aren’t they? I see this clothesline and those clothes hanging there and think about the hands that washed those clothes, hung them to dry, and later retrieved them for family members. Was this task done thoughtfully or mechanically, with love or obligation, willingly or unwillingly? I prefer the unvarnished vision.
http://oneminnesotawriter.blogspot.com
Thank you, Kathleen. Sometimes life is best viewed this way: unedited and real.
Your questions are good ones, too. We can only speculate.
Lovely images of an everyday thing that you photographed so well. I love to see laundry hanging outside—in Australia it was rare for people to use dryers (tho I insisted on one! 🙂 ) and there were always clotheslines lined with “hi viz” uniforms and linens and everything! I loved to see them and did my share of hanging but mine always seemed to get peppered with lorakeet or black cockatoo presents…..
In all my decades of hanging laundry, birds have peppered the wash less than a dozen times. I love the process of clipping clothes to the line and then pulling them off later, hoisting the clothes basket onto my hip and carrying the clothes inside. Also love the scent of sun dried sheets.
If it were sunny with a breeze my clothes would be out on the line today, but I think the season for that is over till next spring. I Loved that this scene caught your eye… such a great photo of a very amazing set-up. I’m surprised that I missed it being down that way so many times. (I wonder what day is their “wash day” 🙂 The house that my dad was born in is now occupied by the Amish. Dad and I have been there to visit with them a few times. They are so friendly but DONT like their photo taken. My dad is a twin and was born in that now amish house. Old women who lives there always looks and points over to the corner near the bedroom and says…. “the twins were born over there”! Last time we visited I snuck a photo of little Mary…opps 🙂 You’ll have to forgive my If i’ve told you all this before. The photos of the amish house and little Mary are in this post form 2010 http://jackie000.blogspot.com/search/label/amish
Amish wash day appears to be on Monday as I photographed this on a Monday and saw other rural homes (presumably Amish) where laundry was hung outdoors.
Your story about the Amish who lives in your Dad’s old house is rather amusing. “The twins were born over there” is just too cute, now a part of the home’s history.
OK, now I don’t feel so bad about sneaking a photo of a little Amish boy, although mine is not sharp in focus because I snapped it quickly and it was my single shot. I’ll be sharing my Amish photos here soon.
That’s quite a system!
My father comes from Pennsylvania near some of the Amish there. We used to love to go to the Amish general store and also their cheese factory. The girls always seemed shy around us and the young ones were kind of fascinated to see me wearing jeans (this was the mid 1970s).
An Amish general store and cheese factory, now that would be interesting.
that’s awesome!
I agree. If I had a big yard, I’d ask Randy to rig up a clothesline like this for me.