Privy Permit

We just sent off the paperwork for our privy permit. It is hard for me to believe that there is an office somewhere that actually grants permission to dig a hole in the ground and poop in it. We had to wait for the results of a soil test that our contractor was responsible for completing. Here's how it works. He digs a hole in the ground and evaluates the soil. I believe he is checking soil composition and whether or not the soil can absorb the contents of the privy. He is supposed to then fill out a report and file with with the county. He finished the job right around Thanksgiving and we paid him promptly. Mid-January, when we were ready to file our paperwork to get the permit, we realized he had not cashed our check or filed the report. Ray called the guy to find out what was up and he explained that he hadn't filed the report because he hadn't been paid. He was surprisingly friendly about it, like he just assumed he was being stiffed and was ok with that. Maybe it happens all the time in his line of work. Ray explained that we had in fact put a check in the mail several months ago. I have a feeling the check had been filed away either under the mats in the guy's truck or maybe in the pocket of some jeans. Anyway, he agreed to file the soil test right away. We stopped payment on the original check and put a new one in the mail, which was cashed a few days later. I was very frustrated by the hold ups but we're back on track now. I consider the $29 stop payment fee we had to pay to be a kind of moron tax. Hopefully, our dealings with this particular character are over.

It's Here!

Surprisingly, the privy toilet came today. After my last conversation with Daryl, I assumed it would be May before we had her. It's snowing hard today and the windchill is -15. My poor UPS driver hauled it right up to the door. (No trip to the bus depot for me!) When I met her outside, she commented that this was the strangest delivery of her day. This is exactly how it arrived, no box. I explained to her what it was and she looked at me like I was crazy. She asked, "why don't you just build a plywood box with a seat on it?" I told her that since I live with all boys, I wanted to be able to wipe it down from time to time. She answered, "You don't clean an outhouse," and trudged back to her truck.

Our outhouse is going to be Zeebest!

I just got off the phone with Daryl at Zeebest Plastics in Edmonton, Alberta. I placed an order for the PTS Privy Toilet that I featured a photo of in an earlier post. We had an amusing conversation. When I told him I wanted to place an order, he first asked me what company I was with. I answered that I wasn't with anyone but just wanted one toilet for family use. I assured me that I was someone and proceeded to take my order. I explained that I was located in the U.S., and asked if there would be any problem shipping it here. His first plan was to put the thing on a Greyhound bus headed for Minneapolis. He explained that I could just pick up the package at the bus depot and pay the customs charges there. I could just imagine myself standing in the downtown bus station looking for the international package pickup window while Ray circles the block outside. I suggested to Daryl that maybe we could just ship it UPS. He replied, "Well, yah, that's another way of doin' her." There's nothing like a phone call to Canada to make life in Minneapolis seem downright cosmopolitan.

My Living Room

I came home from work today and saw that we had had a visit from the Craig's List fairy. I think the cots will look cool in Fort Awesome, but they look a bit out of place in my living room. We already have 2 others just like these, one a neighbor gave us and one I picked up at a garage sale this summer. Looks like we'll have plenty of comfortable (?) sleeping arrangements for all our visitors!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays from Camp Freedom. Here we are standing on the future cabin building site. Who knows, maybe by next year, we can take our Christmas picture in the cabin! We have a lot to be thankful for this year and we have a lot to look forward to in 2010. Thanks to all my friends and family for supporting and encouraging this project and I wish you all the best this Christmas and New Year!

Property Taxes

I received a property tax statement in the mail this week. Luckily, the property taxes on an undeveloped swamp are not very high. That was definitely part of what made this parcel so appealing. The small amount of the bill was not the only difference between the taxes due on Camp Freedom and the taxes we pay in the city. Included with the bill was not one, but two holiday letters. There was a letter from Judy, the town treasurer, wishing us a happy holidays. She also included the hours she would be available at the town hall if we'd like to pay our taxes in person. She went so far as to include her home telephone number in case those times were not convenient and we'd like to give her a call at home to make other arrangements. Bill, the town chairman included a letter highlighting some of the town projects for the year. Apparently, we bought a new grader and loader this year, complete with a snow wing! We got new blacktop on some of the roads and received a grant to replace an aging culvert on Duck Creek. Bill also took the opportunity to blast the D.N.R. calling them an "extremely power hungry bureaucracy." I guess they've butted heads a few times over permitting and funding road building projects. Bill signed off after wishing us a merry Christmas and letting us know he supports the troops. I guess it's good to know where your town chairman stands on these issues.

Inspecting the Pit