I totally believe it, Teresa! Windsors are timeless and beautiful. I'm sure they are a lovely addition to your dining room. Anytime you want, you can slap a hole into one of them. Chamber pots are pretty easy to find on eBay. 😅
Jill, how great that you've got an off-grid hideaway in Canada. While doing the research for this piece, I discovered that there is a whole network of outdoor latrines in the Algonquin park system that are fondly referred to as...THUNDERBOXES! It's a whole thing.
Clearly so many things I didn't know about the evolution of the chamber pot! Delightfully told. It's a great ebay story, too. Lol. Although, a strategic cushion, and no one would guess.
So glad to be a source of enlootenment, Amy. I really need to step away from the screen for awhile 😂 though I did just learn that a term like that is referred to as a "nonce" word. Who knew? Not me!
Flush with possibility indeed, Miss Elizabeth!! Some of the best ideas ever were most certainly from long ago.....as a child 1970s...we remodeled an Upstate NY Victorian with a 3-seater off the back. Now that is a close-knit family! J
I read, in my research for this, that the ancient Greeks and Romans, with their communal latrines (and baths, yes?) considered it a social experience. My, how times change.
Everybody poops. And we all have the same parts, more or less, so I wonder when all that changed, and why? It's lovely to contemplate these mysteries rather than the miseries, if only for a day. Thank you, as always, E. ~J
' All this suggests either a close-knit community or a very poorly timed chili supper' - this will continue to make me chuckle for some time. thank you.
My father is an upholsterer by trade and I grew up learning about furniture and have a healthy respect for the stuff. Especially the older stuff. And this is the perfect kind of oddity - packed full of charm and history!
Evelyn, apologies for the delayed reply. I went away for a few days and got a bit behind. I wanted to comment on your father's work as an upholsterer. Coincidentally, my dad was in the upholstery business (sales, not application), and I grew up in "the furniture capital of the world" where talented upholsterers were very well-respected. When I met him, my husband was a boat builder, so I never saw the furniture story playing out all over again until it got rolling. 😅 Thanks for sharing this tidbit about your history!
Never apologise for any delay. I know in the world of the internet and instant connection we are made to think we should be frequently available - but we aren’t, nor should we be.
It’s such a nice thing, to be connected to the stuff that fills our homes.
I love the fun you clearly had in writing this; you made me smile out loud more than once.
There was a time in my life when I had a bit of a chair addiction. All I could see in any of them was opportunity. I was sure I could rehab them to some kind of glory, whether they'd formally had any or not. Eventually, I came to my senses and I've sworn off that particular kind of stuff. My skills and my vision never quite aligned, and I try to walk a sober DIY road now. (I do think I can safely say that I never picked up an old potty chair, though. That's a new one!)
Rita, this comment makes me smile out loud, too! (Love that expression, by the way. I'm going to be borrowing it, if that's okay.) I live with someone who probably needs a 12-step program for his "I can fix this" habit. The thing is, he truly can. But we only have so many hours in a day, right? I'll be prepared to stage an intervention if the two of you ever meet. But I might also slip an old Windsor potty chair into your basement when you're not looking! 🤣
Thanks for the counterintuitively chuckle this morning!
Ha! Thanks for reading and laughing along, Sandy.
Believe it or not, but our dining room chairs from the 1940s look very similar. But no chamber pots! I feel a little cheated.
I totally believe it, Teresa! Windsors are timeless and beautiful. I'm sure they are a lovely addition to your dining room. Anytime you want, you can slap a hole into one of them. Chamber pots are pretty easy to find on eBay. 😅
I vaguely recall seeing Thunderbox open for Judas Priest back in the day, but I digress. So informative and amusing!!
I think my brother had their first album! It's good to smile. Thanks for being here to do that with me.
Thank you for a delightful morning chuckle. I’m so happy to have discovered your Substack.
I'm happy you did, too, Steven. Pieces like this one are slightly less common, but I find I still return to them with some regularity.
I promise that was an unintentional pun! 🤣
No passwords or upkeep, but the throne is definitely a real thing at my Canadian off-the-grid cabin!
Thanks for the memory tweaking
Jill, how great that you've got an off-grid hideaway in Canada. While doing the research for this piece, I discovered that there is a whole network of outdoor latrines in the Algonquin park system that are fondly referred to as...THUNDERBOXES! It's a whole thing.
It is! And in Killarney Provincial Patk, right by my place, ass well!!
Clearly so many things I didn't know about the evolution of the chamber pot! Delightfully told. It's a great ebay story, too. Lol. Although, a strategic cushion, and no one would guess.
So glad to be a source of enlootenment, Amy. I really need to step away from the screen for awhile 😂 though I did just learn that a term like that is referred to as a "nonce" word. Who knew? Not me!
Lordy!
So many toilet stories spring to mind!
Ooh, color me intrigued! I can think of only one of significance. That story might never get told here, but we'll see. 😂
Flush with possibility indeed, Miss Elizabeth!! Some of the best ideas ever were most certainly from long ago.....as a child 1970s...we remodeled an Upstate NY Victorian with a 3-seater off the back. Now that is a close-knit family! J
I read, in my research for this, that the ancient Greeks and Romans, with their communal latrines (and baths, yes?) considered it a social experience. My, how times change.
Everybody poops. And we all have the same parts, more or less, so I wonder when all that changed, and why? It's lovely to contemplate these mysteries rather than the miseries, if only for a day. Thank you, as always, E. ~J
“Flush with possibility!” 😂
That was definitely the standout line in this one. LOL! 🪑+ 🚽 = 👍
Flush with possibilities... love it! ^--^
' All this suggests either a close-knit community or a very poorly timed chili supper' - this will continue to make me chuckle for some time. thank you.
Next time we all eat chili, right? If it ever stops being so darn hot! Thanks, Roe. Hope all is well. ☺️
My father is an upholsterer by trade and I grew up learning about furniture and have a healthy respect for the stuff. Especially the older stuff. And this is the perfect kind of oddity - packed full of charm and history!
Evelyn, apologies for the delayed reply. I went away for a few days and got a bit behind. I wanted to comment on your father's work as an upholsterer. Coincidentally, my dad was in the upholstery business (sales, not application), and I grew up in "the furniture capital of the world" where talented upholsterers were very well-respected. When I met him, my husband was a boat builder, so I never saw the furniture story playing out all over again until it got rolling. 😅 Thanks for sharing this tidbit about your history!
Never apologise for any delay. I know in the world of the internet and instant connection we are made to think we should be frequently available - but we aren’t, nor should we be.
It’s such a nice thing, to be connected to the stuff that fills our homes.
I flush with delight.
I'm so glad to know that about you, Rona. 😅
I love the fun you clearly had in writing this; you made me smile out loud more than once.
There was a time in my life when I had a bit of a chair addiction. All I could see in any of them was opportunity. I was sure I could rehab them to some kind of glory, whether they'd formally had any or not. Eventually, I came to my senses and I've sworn off that particular kind of stuff. My skills and my vision never quite aligned, and I try to walk a sober DIY road now. (I do think I can safely say that I never picked up an old potty chair, though. That's a new one!)
Rita, this comment makes me smile out loud, too! (Love that expression, by the way. I'm going to be borrowing it, if that's okay.) I live with someone who probably needs a 12-step program for his "I can fix this" habit. The thing is, he truly can. But we only have so many hours in a day, right? I'll be prepared to stage an intervention if the two of you ever meet. But I might also slip an old Windsor potty chair into your basement when you're not looking! 🤣
Good thing I don’t have a basement! 😊
Attic! I meant attic! 😜