18 April
 

When I was a little girl, my stepmother would hang the laundry on the line. She did this, she said, because my father preferred using towels that were dried this way. He liked them because they were rough. But I wonder about this. I've found that taking the time to hang the clothes on the line is one of the most relaxing, most soothing activities I've ever engaged in.

The breeze picks up the clothes and animates them, tugs them like a little hand tugging a mother's skirt. It has a quiet sound when it does this. It has a quiet feeling.