February 5, 2003
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Nuttier and Nuttier
Anchorage Daily News | Snowmachiner opens fire on reindeer at farm
Three animals die after shooter on snowmobile opens fire at farm
Two more reindeer die from shooting
Before my slippery trip to the outhouse yesterday, it was on my mind to share the above story with you here. What with all my slipping and sliding, it slipped my mind.
My mind is awash with comments on the news stories, baffled, dismayed comments speculating on what might motivate someone to do this. I’d be surprised if alcohol wasn’t involved. Most of the major atrocities committed by snowmachiners, and many of the “accidents” they cause, and that they and their innocent victims suffer and die from, involve alcohol. Like boating, this recreational activity too often involves intoxication.
My mind is awash, and so, today, is the outhouse. I’m not going out there for a while. In this household, it is back to the honey bucket for a while, until the water level subsides. The rain has continued for more than 36 hours. Last night as I was drifting off to sleep I caught some bits of conversation between Doug and Greyfox, about the flooded outhouse. It is an annual event, usually coming in April or May, when breakup and the runoff from melted snow proceed faster than the ground can soak up the water.
Yesterday, some of you commented on the difficulties of living with an outhouse in the cold environment of Alaska. Actually, in one of life’s amusing little ironies, the cold of Alaska’s climate is one major reason so many of us here have outhouses. Plumbing and septic systems tend to freeze, pipes burst, etc. Every winter I’ve been here, I’ve heard stories of people burning their houses down trying to thaw frozen pipes. My friend Jim Kloss of Radio Free Talkeetna rhapsodizes about the joys of outhouses, and I must admit the man has some valid points. When carefully placed and well maintained, an outhouse causes far less water pollution than a standard flush toilet… think about it. We’re environmentally friendly, here.
When floods come, all bets are off. Sewer systems, septic systems and outhouses, alike, supply contamination to flood waters. No matter how you deal with it, it’s all shit. If I have to deal with it, I prefer having it frozen solid–much less messy and unpleasant that way.
UPDATE: On a more pleasant note, Greyfox has blogged about the Willow Winter Carnival where he spent the past weekend, and I helped him post some great photos of a previous Carnival.
Comments (14)
INteresting. Being spoiled with nice weather and indoor plumbing that doesnt freeze, I dont think I would manage very well. at least not without quite a few cuss words.
What a sad story :-/
Okay ~ here’s a little taste of how my mind works ~ and yes ~ this is coming form WAY out of the blue and totally off topic ~ but did you ever notice that all three of your birth digits reduce to the single number 9 and that all three combined also (of course) reduce to a 9?……Just noticed and just wondered.
My father’s cousin Richard pointed that little fact out to me, Angie, when I was a little girl. He also took that opportunity to teach me the mathematical “magic” of nine: every whole multiple of nine reduces to nine that way.
My heart breaks at seeing that beautiful creature laying there……
God bless you dear heart….Atoka
Heartbreaking photo.
Well when ya put it like dat . . . .
I dont like th cold, but i like the snow
I dont like the warmth, but i like the sun
two words: gun control… but I guess, idiots will always get guns from somewhere…
Some of the most atrocious things happen when people use mood-altering chemicals.
How sad. Purposeless killing always lessens the universe…
On a lighter note, after reading some of your entries here, I am going to make a concerted effort not to complain so much about our 20 degree weather and the 3-4 inches of snow we’re supposed to get tomorrow night!
That actually makes perfect sense!
-M
Having spent years doing Girl Scouts…as a kid and as a leader…I have much less pleasant memories of latrines…in the middle of a field…in the middle of the summer…in Kansas. *cack* Frozen would be a good thing.
I do know this…if you ever fall in one…don’t open your mouth to yell for help until you know how deep it is.
My dad taught me that. No idea why.
Death, outhouses, and the Willow Winter Carnivale.Sad, funny, and so-dare I say it- cool…;-D Love,*HUGS* & Pax~Z