Outhouses are interesting. Mostly, they are interesting because they bring back memories.
The most interesting of memories would be the ones connected to 30 below weather, dead of winter, 8:30PM and it’s very dark outside.
My siblings and I pack on our warm parkas, wool mittens and fur lined high-top boots. Our little legs make their way down the snow-packed narrow path to… you guessed it… the outhouse.
This was the bedtime ritual.
As you can imagine, not something I particularly looked forward to.
I am certain you can imagine what the worst part of that memory would be!
Try sitting on a block of ice with your little bare bum!!
Another interesting outhouse memory is connected to Halloween. Halloween in the country had it’s own terror. The naughty boys of the town would rampage the neighboring farms and tip over all their outhouses.
All except for ours. My Dad was very proud of his outhouse construction. It was the one outhouse in town left standing.
In the country, outhouses remained the toilet of the house, long after city folks hooked up to the modern indoor flush toilet system.
In fact, today I can go to my friend’s farm, and if I have the hankering, I can use one of her outhouses – she has a couple handy.
Outhouse #1. One of the prettiest outhouses I’ve known. Brightly painted with a lace curtain to cover a small window. I step inside and notice the decor. It’s been touched by the hand of creativity.
And when I am finished, I step back outside and there, beside this little outhouse is a container of water, a basin, soap and a towel. Now how convenient is that?
This little outhouse has been the source of healing from those past chilling memories of years gone by.
Outhouse #2.
And when any of my other friends come to visit this quaint little farm, I’m sure to introduce them to the two little red outhouses.
This is more like it. We took this while on one of our trips into the interior of British Columbia. This one’s seen some interesting times I’m sure.
Other names for toilet are:
(Taken from “Sweeter as the Years Go By” written by my good friend , Hilary Jackson who’s traveled much and seen many toilets)
“John – rather crude but we still know what the john means.
Powder room – silly but a feminine touch
Rest room – makes one wonder why anyone would want to rest in the toilet.
Water closet or W.C. – is a term used in Europe. W.C. also stands for Wayside Chapel.
P.K. is a term heard in Africa. It stands for piccanini kia, or little house.
Loo, Lav and so on it goes
Outhouse – is just what the word says.”
Enough of that… I have to go see a man about a dog.
For more outhouse photos check out:
http://nuggetsofgold.weebly.com
Go to the “Story Telling” page.
You won’t be sorry.
Those are some of the nicest out houses I have ever seen, nothing like the ones that I had to share with 20 other people when I worked construction.
When I went to summer camp in the 1970’s the girls had to share a 3 seater outhouse. We didn’t seem to mind because we could visit at the same time.
I enjoyed your Blog about outhouses. How pretty that little red outhouse is. I wrote a blog about outhouses in January 2009, because I had just moved to Canada and had never seen so many outhouses in such a small area. I can understand how the healing process you talked about. An interesting blog.
Thanks – I happened to come across another outhouse this winter – which I just painted along with a few other interesting ‘Canadian” scenes. Soon to come on my next blog.
My elderly uncles and aunts rented an old farm that had it’s “back house” located in the barn. You could access the “relief station” from in the barn or from outside the structure.
I bet it was nice and warm on A cold Minnesota night when the barn was full of cows! Unfortunately they had no cows at that time and it was quite cold in there.
H.R.
Once again, you brought back some interesting memories.
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