On showers...
Nov. 19th, 2006 07:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ellenmillionI took a shower today, and it made me feel much better, even if I did have to go lie down for a nap afterwards.
I doubt, however, that my idea of a shower matches... well, anyone elses.
It is not a typical Alaskan shower, because, yes, most Alaskans do have indoor running water. Even if you don't count Anchorage as Alaskan. (Which us lofty Fairbanksans generally don't...) Heck, by numbers, I'd bet most folks are even hooked up to city water and sewage! The luxury!
Supplies you'll need for an Ellen patented Alaskan shower:
Buckets or pots of cold water - about three gallons worth.
Boiling water - enough to heat above mentioned water to slightly below scalding.
Bar of soap
Two in one hair stuff - you don't want to deal with shampooing and conditioning separately...
Two big towels.
Sandals
Hairbrush and hairties to taste, depending on length of hair.
Prepare the interior area by heating to 'barely able to stand clothing' temperature. (The cat loves this part...)
Boil water, and prepare additional vessels for mixing. One of them should be large-ish for the outdoor final rinse. A four-gallon beer brewing pot works great for this, but one can make do with as little as small as a 1.5 gallon vessel. It should be easy for the rinser to carry very full.
Prepare the exterior area by shovelling any loose snow away from the area of pourage. Remember that it will leave an iceslick, so avoid well-travelled areas. If you have neighbors, position this spot - and a route to and from - away from their view.
Undress, wearing only sandals. Sandals are very important! Cold wet feet freeze to the ground!
Wash hair in sink, with helpful second party to pour water over hair and observe bubbles. Rinse thoroughly. Towel-dry, brush and tie/clip up out of the way.
Soap thoroughly, with helpful second party to assist by flinging sprays of cold water at one to 'make it more interesting' and then rinse hands
Hussle outside - works best if rinsee opens door, lets rinser pass, and then closes door behind. Go quickly to prepared outdoor spot. Didn't prepare your outdoor spot? Walk through ankle-to-calf-deep snow to spot and curse self for not preparing outdoor spot. Rinsers job is to pour water steadily (trying to avoid soaking self) while rinsee removes all soap and alternately curses cold wind and complains about scalding temperature of water. When lobster-red and water is gone, return briskly to house, dry thoroughly and wonder aloud: why the hell haven't we finished the plumbing yet?!
I doubt, however, that my idea of a shower matches... well, anyone elses.
It is not a typical Alaskan shower, because, yes, most Alaskans do have indoor running water. Even if you don't count Anchorage as Alaskan. (Which us lofty Fairbanksans generally don't...) Heck, by numbers, I'd bet most folks are even hooked up to city water and sewage! The luxury!
Supplies you'll need for an Ellen patented Alaskan shower:
Buckets or pots of cold water - about three gallons worth.
Boiling water - enough to heat above mentioned water to slightly below scalding.
Bar of soap
Two in one hair stuff - you don't want to deal with shampooing and conditioning separately...
Two big towels.
Sandals
Hairbrush and hairties to taste, depending on length of hair.
Prepare the interior area by heating to 'barely able to stand clothing' temperature. (The cat loves this part...)
Boil water, and prepare additional vessels for mixing. One of them should be large-ish for the outdoor final rinse. A four-gallon beer brewing pot works great for this, but one can make do with as little as small as a 1.5 gallon vessel. It should be easy for the rinser to carry very full.
Prepare the exterior area by shovelling any loose snow away from the area of pourage. Remember that it will leave an iceslick, so avoid well-travelled areas. If you have neighbors, position this spot - and a route to and from - away from their view.
Undress, wearing only sandals. Sandals are very important! Cold wet feet freeze to the ground!
Wash hair in sink, with helpful second party to pour water over hair and observe bubbles. Rinse thoroughly. Towel-dry, brush and tie/clip up out of the way.
Soap thoroughly, with helpful second party to assist by flinging sprays of cold water at one to 'make it more interesting' and then rinse hands
Hussle outside - works best if rinsee opens door, lets rinser pass, and then closes door behind. Go quickly to prepared outdoor spot. Didn't prepare your outdoor spot? Walk through ankle-to-calf-deep snow to spot and curse self for not preparing outdoor spot. Rinsers job is to pour water steadily (trying to avoid soaking self) while rinsee removes all soap and alternately curses cold wind and complains about scalding temperature of water. When lobster-red and water is gone, return briskly to house, dry thoroughly and wonder aloud: why the hell haven't we finished the plumbing yet?!
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no subject
Date: 2006-11-20 04:57 am (UTC)You know, in 19 years of living in the Bush, we NEVER ONCE did that. Of course, what we did wasn't that much better, which was to pour water over ourselves while standing in a washtub by the stove. But at least it was inside.
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Date: 2006-11-20 05:04 am (UTC)You have trim up but unfinished plumbing? Oi. We're still (some, um, 6 years in) kinda* the reverse -- we agreed we needed plumbing before we moved into our unfinished house. But then, perhaps if we had the extra excitement of snow that you have, I might've argued otherwise *grinchuckle* Or not.
Admittedly, we only have a tub, because although the plumbing is in, the tiling isn't finished**, and our made-by-us-for-us shower ... well, isn't. Except for the pipes. Hrm.
* kinda because some rooms have trim and some don't.
** More or less my thing, but I've been distracted by infant-turned-toddler, and art, and stuff... Gee, wonder how that happens? *chuckle*
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Date: 2006-11-20 05:37 am (UTC)You'd do a Norwegian proud, m'lady.
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Date: 2006-11-20 05:49 am (UTC)as a heat seaking aussie, i assume that this is what hell must be like - sandals in snow.
even though our shower here is total rubbish, here i can walk down to the beach and give myself a good rinse off in nice, warm water. i swear, if snow ever found me in a state of nudity or semi nudity, i'd probably die. ;-)
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Date: 2006-11-20 06:07 am (UTC)Boy howdy is that the truth!! Also worth mentioning: don't, for fear of your life, accidentally lock the door behind you when you go outside to use the outdoor heated in-ground pool in the middle of Fairbanks in the middle of winter. ARG. :P No, wasn't ours, a friend was house-sitting for people who had way more money than they knew what to do with. ;)
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Date: 2006-11-21 05:17 pm (UTC)I went for a swim in an open air unheated swimming pool while it was snowing once, and while it was fun in a weird way and we had heated towels waiting its not the kind of thing you care to make a habit of.
I've always found a helpful second party to make showering take a lot longer than you bargained for, but I can see where snow would be helpful with that.
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Date: 2006-11-21 05:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-22 06:04 am (UTC)We don't have city water or sewage but I still manage to shower indoors. Still, an interesting bit of "together time" between rinser and rinsee.