When we were home at my mother’s house in Indiana in July, I did a load of laundry and then asked if she had a clothesline. “They’re not allowed,” she said. WHAT? This subdivision of McMansions has been built in the middle of reclaimed farmland, with nary a big tree in sight, and it was a 40-degree day with strong sunshine streaming down. The clothes would’ve dried in no time. But no, they’re forbidden by the Homeowners Association. Presumably it makes the neighbourhood look poor or something. So instead they all just use the tumble dryer.

The mind boggles.