Senior
Slant...
The
Other Library
by
Hilda Maston
Ever since the advent of
the "little house behind the big house," there has been
a controversy about whether or not the bathroom could
also be called the "library."
Most will agree that
there was always reading material in the old outdoor
john. Of course, it was only the Sears Robuck
catalog, but it was printed matter that could be read --
very practical, those catalogs.
Then came the indoor
facilities, and a lot of us still find the bathroom is a
prime place for privacy and a short read.
My dad kept western
novels in the bathroom in a box alongside my mother's
Ladies Home Journals. I read whatever I could get
my hands on, and my brother's college textbooks showed
up occasionally, especially around exam time.
I feel qualified, because
of age and experience, to offer some advice to would-be
bathroom readers. First of all, choose your
reading material carefully. Short stories are
good. Reader's Digest is fine; tabloid papers and
People Magazine because they won't hold your interest
long enough to upset the rest of the family. Avoid
reading material that is so absorbing that you forget
where you are. This type of material could result
in loud banging on the bathroom door, by impatient
family members. In a one-bathroom family, this
could lead to a lot of discord.
Contrary to what others
may think, I feel bathroom reading can be both practical
and beneficial. Of course, to achieve these ends,
one must remember to follow the rules of polite and
considerate use of "the other library."
Footnote from
Charlene Snyder:
Hilda's comments about
"the other library" brought back many memories for me
... as I grew up in a family of six where we had to
share a single bathroom. We didn't get an "indoor"
bathroom until I was ten years old. There never
seemed to be a "lineup" at the outdoor toilet.
Especially in the cold weather, no one wanted to linger
over the Sears catalog.
However, the new indoor
bathroom did become "the other library" as all four of
us kids liked to read ... especially when chores were
waiting. Finally, we found a solution: a
little door plaque with a small bell. One ring was
"hurry up." Two rings was "can't wait." And
three rings was "too late"!!
And during family
gatherings, the bell always seemed to be ringing!
Isn't It Interesting
Isn't it interesting that
the windows in the sanctuary reflect two different times
and two different outlooks? Interestingly enough,
they were both crafted by Merle and Virgil Williver.
On one side, the early
windows are very traditional and quite lovely. The
other side of the church has more contemporary windows
picturing the best features of the Northwest with bold
colors and strong lines, also quite lovely.
Both sets of windows are
quite different, but somehow they both seem right.
They both reflect the history of the church and the
everyday life of the church, and bring it all together.
