Gray Water & Black Water

I know many of you are wondering how I am surviving without running water. So I thought I would show you how easy it is. Jed and I were discussing how our society has only had running water for a short time in comparison to how long world civilization has lived without it. Many countries still don't have running water...it is interesting how spoiled we are. How many of us even think twice about this when we turn on a facet? We live in an amazing time!

Jed and I may not have running water, but we have electricity, an electric stove, a refrigerator, and I can go to the store and buy ice cream and canned goods. I don't need to worry about our crops growing nor depending on Jed's hunting skills.

AND,

just to avoid any confusion,

we are not super green, we are not really tree-huggers (well we kind of are) but we use tons of paper/plastic plates and utensils...and I swear I am blind or I learned from my dad that I can't see without every light turned on in the place. We have our big flat screen and blu-ray player, laptops (3 of them) our cell-phones...so basically the only thing we've eliminated is running water

...but check out this set up!

I have a sink...the blue jug of water is just like running water with the little facet thingy. I have the tea kettle always handy and can throw it on the stove for warm water. If I boil some water in the morning or evening it stays pretty warm for a while. So we can wash hands, faces, dishes etc. The set up is awesome...it drains into this little bucket. That water is called 'gray water'. Then I just take the bucket outside and throw it in the bushes/trees. If we were real hippies/tree huggers we would try to filter and re-use that water...umm, no thank you.

We don't have a wood burning stove. We have what is called a Toyo stove, that is a name brand of the stove. It burns diesel fuel...well a modified diesel fuel that keeps it from gelling up in the cold....the tank runs into the cabin to this nice little heater...just another modern convenience! But what about 'Black water' you ask?
That is where the outhouse comes into to play...
We are so lucky we have a duplex outhouse, shared with our neighbors! It's two outhouses built together...two doors, two seats, one big hole! I can only imagine what it will be like when I run into them for the first time at the outhouse...very weird!

This outhouse is really gross...

What am I saying? All outhouses are really gross! But this one has a smell. My mission today is to see if we can clean it up.

I don't mind it right now... I think it would be awful in -40 degree weather. Luckily I won't see that anytime soon.