STEINBACH, MB
At a family gathering this past week, Grandpa Loewen, 72, was generous with his graphic stories of the primitive toilet he had to use to as a child. Once he had a few kids gathered on his lap he told them of the days when you had to use this indoor outhouse called the “Cash and Carry” toilet.
“Ah, those were the days, kids,” said Grandpa Loewen to young Bethany and Ethan. “We didn’t have the fancy flush toilets like you have now, but instead we had a 10 gallon pail in the basement that we had to empty out once in a while when it was full.”
Bethany and Ethan seemed rather put off by the stories, especially so close to lunch, but Grandpa simply did not loosen his grip.
“Now let me tell you about the time it was my brother Henry’s turn to empty the bucket,” said Grandpa. “He left it until the last minute and so the bucket was much fuller than usual and as he schlepped it up the stairs, he…”
At this point Bethany and Ethan’s mother interrupted the conversation.
“Dad,” she said. “Please stop. Ethan and Bethany don’t need to hear this.”
Grandpa Loewen reluctantly agreed to change the subject and instead told the children stories of the manure spreader back on the farm in Jantsied.