Nuggets of Gold Blog

Outhouses are interesting. Mostly, they are interesting because they bring back memories.

Outhouse photo - Win Wachsmann
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.

A couple 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.

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.

For more interesting Outhouse Photos check out http://nuggetsofgold.wordpress.com[/url]
or
http://nuggetsofgold.weebly.com
Each site has their own twist to the Outhouse Story
You'll find them on the "Story Telling" page of the site.

I did this pencil crayon sketch called "Rescued Percherons" after one of my visits to the Rush's farm. ©

The story behind this piece is about Mel and Irene, and the Percheron horses they rescue.

The Rush’s farm is a sanctuary for these large magnificent draft horses. There is little use for these horses in our day and age, and so they are often left unattended in the farmer's fields. Lack of care and attention results in a very powerful, wild and unmanageable animal.

Mel is a true horse whisperer. He rescues the Percherons from their ultimate demise, and takes on the challenge of taming these powerful beasts. With both patience and love they become useful and gentle creatures.

Each time I visit the Rush’s Percheron farm I have an opportunity to go for a sleigh ride drawn by two of these powerful work horses. The first time it was Silver and Dollar who were hitched to the sleigh.

That day Mel told me of the latest acquired young adult Percheron named Diamond. Diamond had spent his entire life out in some farmer’s field. He was wild and tough and full of fire. No one could touch him. Without attention his life would be a short one. With great difficulty they were able to catch him and have him transported to the Rush’s farm.

When I first saw Diamond, he was running free and wild in the fields at his new home. Mel stated that at this time, all attempts at getting near to the horse were futile. He had been with them for several months.

A year passed and I once again visit the farm. Mel had just hitched up two beautiful black Percherons to the sleigh and we were ready for another ride through the acres of snow and bush. He handed me the reins. I took them and felt the thrill of the ride in a whole new way.

Mel tells me that the horse on the left is Diamond.

Diamond! I was astonished. This horse was gentle and intelligent, attentive and eager to work and loving every minute of pulling the load behind him. Diamond had been transformed.

“How did you do it?” I asked.

Mel told me how they had finally lassoed Diamond and then wrapped the end of the rope around a significantly large tree trunk. (About a foot in diameter). Seemingly effortlessly, Diamond pulled the tree from it’s roots and dragged it around the field until he was exhausted.

Only then were they were able to bridle him and bring him to the barn. The battle of the wills had been won. Diamond’s natural gentle nature and love of companionship rose to the surface under the kind and expert hand of The Horse Whisperer, Mel.

I love that story.

A funny thing happened to me the other day.

I was driving down the street, focused on my destination, when I noticed someone in the vehicle behind me trying desperately to get my attention. I checked my rear view mirror to make sure that the trunk wasn't open, and my doors were closed properly. My tires seemed to be rolling just fine. I figured it couldn't be me that this driver was so frantically waving at.

The car closed in on me and continued to honk and wave. Now I could clearly see that it was a woman in the driver's seat.

I decided I'd better pull over to the side of the road and see what this woman wanted from me. She stopped behind me and jumped out of her vehicle. "There's something on your car!" she exclaimed, looking both frightened and confused at the same time. She was pointing to something latched on the side of my teal blue Pontiac Convertible. I gasped and jumped back. I saw what appeared to be a slithering black and pink snake sticking to the side of my rear bumper!

The next second, I burst out into laughter. The pink and black slithering snake was my magnetic necklace. It had come off from around my neck when I removed my sweater and tossed it into the back seat of the car, before getting into the driver's seat.

I tried to explain the necklace and the magnetic thing - but alas the poor dear still had the look of horror on her face as I calmly placed the necklace back around my neck, and drove away.

I have decided that laughter is something precious. Although the scripture verse found in the Christian Bible, “A merry heart does good like a medicine”, is a verse I have been familiar with for many years, I haven’t always actually taken it to heart – the exception perhaps on the days that I didn’t feel so well. Now I am beginning to realize how “preventative” this merry heart can be.

I always wished for a sense of humor. I sometimes even felt envy towards someone with a quick whit, great one liners, and smart comebacks.

Then the Lord showed me that a sense of humor is something we can cultivate. Yes, some come by it naturally but for those of us who need to practice humor, take heart.

The first thing I learned is that it stems from a happy heart, a heart that sees the good in things and is not easily offended. Offense is probably the most likely thing that will keep me from seeing the “funny side” of things. Now that seems to me that I’m mostly thinking about me. Ahh - another key to happiness. Less of me.

The second thing I learned is that cultivating a good sense of humor takes work. Some days it comes easy, and I even surprise myself with a little bit of spontaneous wit. But most of the time I have to stop and ask myself what possible humor is there is this situation. I want to laugh more, to live in the moment and love it. Not because it's necessarily an extraordinary wonderful moment, but because it's mine and I'm living it, and there is so much more to get out of that moment than I often realize.

To quote author Barbara Johnson, “After a lifetime of straining to be “the perfect perky ideal,” finally your breasts can relax”. Ah yes, that says it all doesn’t it. I just wish I had thought of that one.

Be assured, I am coming up with my own precious laughter moments and am intending to share them with who ever will listen.

I am excited to be a member of the BraveHeart Women community. I'm looking forward to getting know to you - women with courage and purpose, who are sharing their giftedness with others.