Camp toilets

[Boomerang]

Is there something wrong with the woods and a piece of strong leaf that I don't know about?

[AliceT]

Originally Posted by Boomerang

Is there something wrong with the woods and a piece of strong leaf that I don't know about?

It's really hard to find a good leaf in the Maine woods right now. But to be honest with you, that's not a half bad idea.

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by AliceT

It's really hard to find a good leaf in the Maine woods right now. But to be honest with you, that's not a half bad idea.

Just be careful about what sort of leaf you grab- there's a very nasty vine that grows in some parts of Maine. It's ten times worse than poison ivy.

[island mermaid]

As a kid growing up spending summers in the lighthouse on IAH, we never had running water, alas the outhouse. I hated it when it was my turn to empty it. Yuck! Also not pleasant when you woke up in the middle of the night and had to run downstairs, out the long cold walkway to find the outhouse in the dark. Almost guaranteed you'd spook a deer on your way out and that in itself made you have to run faster!

We did also have the choice of using the chamber pots under our beds. Depending on the temp that night, sometimes it was a must however our dad was very adamant about us having to clean it before you sat down for breakfast.


Looking back...it wasn't so bad...I had a great childhood!

[Boomerang]

Ah, memories of the old outhouse! Ours was across the lawn, in a shady spot attached to the back of the garage, where the snakes would slither quickly of the way as we approached, and fat spiders wove huge, loosely-knit webs that swayed in the slightest breeze. ugh!!! Just inside the door was a galvanized pail full of lime, with a garden trowel for scooping it. Everyone was expected to sprinkle a little lime after leaving a deposit.
The "night soil" contained in the huge wash tub behind the hinged door at the back of the outhouse was hauled out every so often, put into the back of the old farm pickup, and hauled to the woods at the edge of the far field for dumping.

When we got indoor plumbing it was never the same. Convenient in the dark or cold for sure, but not the same as being in the little house out back on those summer days when the grass was warm, the wind blew softly, and the poplars rustled in the breeze.....

I have a framed copy of the poem "The Passing of the Old Back House". Just found a good copy of it here
The Specialist