THE OUTHOUSE

Sometimes when I was young and I would have to go to the outhouse in the middle of the night in Encinal and it was cold out, my grandmother would build a fire for me in a little bucket, little sticks and little pieces of wood to keep me warm.  I’d take the bucket with the fire into the outhouse with me.  She would stand outside in the cold and wait for me.  The fire would keep me warm a little bit but she would be cold.  She would tell me to try to hurry it up.  When I was finished, she would tell me to wash my hands at the outside faucet and in the winter it was really cold and sometimes frozen

She would take the bucket and put the fire out and we’d go back into the house and go to bed.  She did all of those little things for me just like you would do.  When I would feel bad at night with my stomach, she would get up and make some spearmint tea or cinnamon tea.  I would drink the tea and eat a tortilla with butter.  And then when I’d go back to bed, I would hear the rooster singing that it was time to get up. Growing up in Encinal was real nice.

(Note:  seeing Encinal through John's eyes is what is wonderful.  Not everyone saw the little town like this.)

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