After looking more closely at this faded old picture of my maternal grandparents with their children, I suddenly realized I might know where this shot is taken... even though I wasn't born for another twenty years.I think the mound behind them is the "cave", or root cellar; and the structure in the background, I do believe, is the outhouse! I have two cousins who read this blog, so perhaps they can tell me in email if I'm right.
I don't know why, but it excites me to think there's a picture of Grandma's outhouse. We never called it by that name, by the way. We referred to it as the toilet. I used those facilities many times, visiting my grandma. My uncles finally put running water into her house sometime in the fifties, but in nice weather I still used the toilet when I visited her.
I wish that picture were clearer. My mom is on the right, standing in front of her father.
Today I made the best liver and onions ever, because I finally used enough onions to actually smother the liver. From the garden we had wilted lettuce (no, we're not tired of that), snow peas, and turnips. Cliff surprised me by actually taking a couple of bites of them.
The beets needed thinning, and I pulled up enough baby ones to have Harvard beets tomorrow. We're eating all this good garden stuff (as well as the liver) now, because starting next Sunday it'll be mostly meat, potatoes, chocolate, and starches for a week, once our son comes to visit. He never was much for veggies, except for sweet corn, and green beans with cheese sauce.
When I was going through basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in July... there were outhouses at the rifle range. There is nothing more stimulating than a small wooden structure full of fumes and wasps in the middle of July. I have thanked the Lord for indoor plumbing every day of my life since.
ReplyDeleteWooHoo! Jim's comin' up!
ReplyDeleteYou'll be in your glory cooking for that son of yours. At least I would be happy to have someone to cook for. Too bad he doesn't like vegies. Your menus lately have my mouth watering. Liver and onions is another of my favorites but no one else in my family likes it so when I do have it I eat it for days. Your outhouse memory brings to mind the many trips down that path I made when visiting my grandmother too. She also had a cellar in the side of a hill that was mounded over on the outside with rocks and a door was put on it. Things were always kept cool in there. I remember too that it was kept locked. Maybe she was afraid someone would steal all the jars of food she had canned. She never did get an indoors bathroom but did have running water at some point.
ReplyDeleteHypeblogal, outhouse really speeds things up when it about -20. I used one at grandma's, many other places including 2 years in the army
ReplyDeleteInteresting photo! No, liver & onions for me either. I love veggies though.
ReplyDeleteHey girl...cool shot...we have alot of those photos that we don[' know where they were taken.
ReplyDeleteHope all is well and that you have a great weeks end
Love, Jess