One of the most magical moments in my life occurred when I was about five years old. The town I lived in built a water tower, installed the infrastructure, and for the first time ever, my parents got indoor plumbing. I don’t think I ever – EVER – saw my mother as happy and grateful as she was on that auspicious occasion. I have never forgotten that and to this day, sixty some years later, I never turn on a tap, flush a toilet , or pick up a garden hose without feeling the magic.
I vaguely remember not having indoor plumbing. I remember my grandmother having a hand pump by her kitchen sink. I do not remember us having one. I do remember having an electric kettle that we used to boil water for doing dishes. I also remember being alone in the house the night someone forgot to unplug it. The electric cord caught fire and it was spewing millions of sparks across the kitchen – between me and the door. 😳🥺😢
We did have an indoor washroom. I do not remember the sink or the bathtub or how they were filled or emptied. I remember the toilet. It was basically a BIG can with a toilet seat on top. Inside the can was a metal five gallon pail. I do NOT remember anyone emptying it and I have no idea where it was emptied because I do not remember us having an outhouse. If we did have an outhouse, I have no idea how that was emptied. I remember my grandparents had the same arrangement except that they they lived in a small two story house and their washroom was upstairs.
We would go to visit my grandparents for a full week every summer. I do not once remember their five gallon pail ever being emptied. Nowadays, if any of my grandchildren saw me tottering down a steep narrow stairway carrying a five gallon pail of poop, I am sure they would notice – and remember.
Living in a country like Canada, we are so used to taking conveniences like indoor plumbing for granted. It is unfortunate, because having simple access to an abundance of fresh, clean water is so much more than magical. It is a true blessing. 🤱
That is it for my magical moments today. I hope you have a great day and that you have plenty of your own magical moments to celebrate.
Speaking of celebrating, Happy Fourth of July to our family, friends, and neighbours in the USA. 🇺🇸
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 
Thanks, Annmarie! 🇺🇸 I love Canada. 🇨🇦 I remember the mid-1960s when my family had a hunting camp in the middle of nowhere in northern lower Michigan. The cabin backed up to a thick cedar swamp, we had one of those hand pumps that you had to prime to get the water up and out but man that water was incredibly cold and clean!
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You are welcome, John! I think they had those at campsites around here as well back before modern plumbing. The incredibly cold water sounds familiar.
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It’s so good that I can still remember it, but not what happened three days ago some days… What the heck?!
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I get that!
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We had our last pump like that, different color in 1946 before we moved to the big city. I was 7 years old. I remember some in parks in the 1950’s. I am enjoying your magical moments.
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Thank you! I think this pump that we have used to be an ugly pale lime green but everything here was that color when I moved in. 🙄
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Well I know who emptied that big toilet can in my house. As the youngest child, I had that chore. I hated it! And it was a happy day when we moved to a house with indoor plumbing.
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Oh no! I was the youngest in our house and I am pretty sure I would remember if it had been me! I am glad you moved to a house with indoor plumbing. 💞
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You would remember it! 🙂
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Interesting post. We would visit my grandparents in central Wisconsin for a week or more at a time, sometimes winter, sometimes summer. There’s nothing like using the outhouse in the middle of the night when it’s -15 F. Grandpa would joke, “You city people are really disgusting, going to the bathroom in your house.” Running water and indoor plumbing are blessings we don’t think about often until they don’t work right.
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Lol, your Grandpa must have been a character.
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No question about it, he was. He was always nice to the weird kid (me) and was my hero. After he passed I learned more about him and everything I learned raised him up a notch in my estimation. But yes, he was a character.
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That indoor plumbing was truly memorable – the electric kettle in a different way 🙂
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A couple of days I will always remember.
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Grandfathers should all be like that💞
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