The clothes drier
This is my clothes drier. It is not fancy. It’s next to my bed, up in the loft, where the hot air from the wood stove rises, so clothes do dry quickly. Usually in 12 hours or so. In the summer, before the monsoon season, I use my outdoor drier: a line strung between two Aspen trees, with old cinches for “tree savers” and recycled phone cable for the line. I can say it’s all very “green” and I can feel a part of the modern world.
Our humidifier
This is my humidifier. It runs on wood heat and water from the tap, but costs nothing to operate. No moving parts or motors; nothing to break or fix or replace. The stove goes every morning and most every night, all year long; the humidifier is filled daily. One more ritual in a simple life.
I think of how many we have, those of us who chose to spend the day raising and growing and cooking our own food, teaching our own kids, building our own home. The day is filled with the little chores. It turns into one big chore. And at the end of the day, we are tired; we sit at our table and have so much to be grateful for. Most of which is being here together. We look around and see so directly the fruits of our labor. The table, the shelving, the fencing, the chicken coop, the trained horses, the corrals and barn. Our home, our business, our life. Right here before us.
They say the finer things in life are free. I don’t agree. They cost a great deal. But not with money. They cost with time, with labor, with love. In that case, we have spent a fortune, but the rewards have paid off. We are rich with those essential wealths; we are bursting with plenty.
Look around your home, your life. I bet you are too.