We get a lot of wind in Kansas. In fact, Kansas is the second windiest state in the United States right after Nebraska. Dodge City, Kan., is the windiest city in the country even though Chicago claims the Windy City title.

Our house is situated on the top of a hill. Not only do we have great views, but the wind comes sweepin' down the plains regularly. That's great for kite flying and laundry. Laundry?

When I was growing up, we always had a clothesline where we'd hang our just-washed clothes in the summer. I didn't much like working outside back then, but hanging laundry on the line was one outdoors chore I enjoyed. True, when the sun is burning hot and there's little breeze, the clothes get a bit stiff. I remember one time my dad's work pants stood up by themselves. My sister and I laughed ourselves silly.

Every spring, I eagerly await the first semi-warm day when I can hang my laundry on the line. Sometimes it's a little too early, and I end up having to put the clothes in the dryer to finish the job, but they still have that fresh, outdoors smell that no fabric softener can duplicate.

Wind and sun speed the drying process considerably. A gentle breeze is best. Because we are on top of a hill, though, the gentle breeze sometimes strengthens to a driving wind. Doing laundry then becomes an epic battle against the elements. You have to race to get the clothes pin on before the wind tears the garment from your grasp. Trying to pull a king-size sheet off the line in a 20-mph wind risks getting smothered in its twisting, flapping folds. There's also the race to get the laundry basket, which has a tendency to blow away when few clothes remain. Yep, doing laundry is quite a workout. One good thing about a brisk wind is that the clothes flap around so much, they don't get stiff.

Visitors are surprised to see laundry on the line, and some grow nostalgic. But some people are horrified.

A neighbor in our subdivision several years ago made it a point to tell me that clothes lines weren't allowed according to Home Owners Association rules. I checked, and sure enough, you couldn't have a permanent clothes line. I bought one of those circular umbrella lines that can be taken down. I'd haul it out every weekend, hang my laundry, then fold it up and carry it in when I was done. I didn't mind doing it, but my neighbor minded seeing it even for the brief time it was up. She set up a trellis and planted some kind of climbing, viney plant. We moved before it could grow enough to do any good.

I don't want you to think my neighbor was in any way a bad person; we just had different ideas of how to do things. I took some baked goods over to her (she had a son who loved such things, but she didn't enjoy baking), and when I walked into her dining room, she had her laundry drying on hangers around the room.

Different strokes for different folks.