Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Outhouse




I've got a new line for Jeff Foxworthy -
You're definitely a redneck if you have an outhouse in your yard, especially if it's in your FRONT yard.


ta-daa, look we (I) got. Ours has a crescent rather than a star on the door like pictured above.

The crescent moon cutout and the star cutout on the door of many outhouses goes back to Colonial times. In a time when few people could read, the crescent moon was the symbol for women while the star cutout was for men.

It is thought that the men, in general, let their outhouses fall into such bad shape that it was the women's outhouses that survived the test of time. The cutout also let light into the outhouse as there were usually no windows.

I kinda one for aesthetics but be functional, so for hygiene purposes, I had to rent one, and the company will clean it weekly. I'm telling ya, it never fails, you get out to the barn and it hits ya. Then, you have to run back inside the sunroom, kick off your muck boots, to protect the carpet in the RV, run inside and up steps, the 5th wheel RV has steps inside, to the bedroom/bathroom and by then you're in pure misery. My 53-year-old colon wanted an outhouse. I've just begun to decorate around it. Stay tuned: pumpkins, mums, etc are coming.
»§«:*´`³¤» ©Lois Caywood Guffy«¤³´`*:»§«
Just say all you want about living in the good old days.
I lived em' and I know there are more comfortable ways.
Now, imagine having to go to the little house out in back
Waiting until the last minute to hop out of your cozy sack
Running out into the night and wondering if you can wait
To answer natures call, that is, if you hadn't waited too late.
With your nightshirt a flippin and flappin in the breeze
As you quickly ran down the path to the house in the trees
Now folks, I say it with pride,
I cherish my old Sears & Roebuck Throne that sits inside.

7 comments:

DianeLynn said...

LOL...how cute! I have lived in several places where outside was the bathroom. It didn't bother me none. When I was a little girl we go camping every weekend and lots in summer. Well Mom did not like traditional campground...oh no...we go out in the middle of nowhere and I mean nowhere. So my potty trips were in some unusual places...from that time even to now I wished I had a "ding-a-ling" cause potty times would have been so much easier. :-)

Mary Humphrey said...

I love it!

I keep a bucket in the barn. I have no choice. We do not have a house near the barn, but a small school of mennonite children across the stream...so, potty means drive the truck back to the house or use the bucket. The bucket wins. It gets a twice daily dose of santized bleach water after I milk. Everything works out well. The things we do...and the things we admit to on the internet!

BTW...great potty landscaping ideas. ;)

Peggy said...

I just love outhouses!!

Boozy Tooth said...

Joanna! I never knew the gender specific orientation of moon and star outhouses. Well, isn't that the height of luxury? To have separate holes in the ground for the ladies and gents.

Awewome post!

Unknown said...

Oh, Joanna! My 65-yr old memory contains the outhouse of my PA childhood - as I recall, it was a 2-holer. Great for family outings. And the story Mom told me was that I dropped one of our kittens in the hole to see if it could "swim" - Dad rescued it, but the poor thing was forever after named "Stinky".

Nancy

thecrazysheeplady said...

That is definitely the most romantic little outhouse I've ever seen ;-)

Boozy Tooth said...

@ Mom L: You are hilarious. But I'm still sending the ASPCA your way for a visit.