The Smells of Winter

This is something that has been kind of bothering me for a few weeks now. It's the smells of winter. Not the fragrant pine of Christmas trees or the clear, crisp air when it's minus thirty-five degrees. But the smells of outerwear that has been wet too many times, everyday, without being allowed to dry completely before getting wet again. It's a slightly sour, musty smell that won't go away until everything is laundered and hung to dry on the line in the sun. Which means the smells of winter will be with me until - oh - May. Or if I'm lucky, April. The last time I washed my winter coat it took two days to fully dry and that was hanging it in the direct sun in August. Children's coats and snow pants can not be put in the dryer so unless we get a long and very mild spell, I'm out of luck there too. Some mitts are only washable with a damp cloth (WHAT?!) which means they are - gack! - disposable. Don't even get me started on the dogs.