But I still love, and use, the outhouse. It is a fine place for many reasons, not least as a dandy listening post for white-throated sparrows and warblers and kinglets and loons. But it is especially good for pondering. The old maps and pictures on the walls, the unique and cloistered atmosphere, the dappled shade above, all create a feeling of peace and solitude. A connection to all the humble realities of life.

Thus I love the Church Of Peace, and cherish and maintain it. Perhaps you have an outhouse in your past (or present) that provides similar delights. I would love to hear about it, one privy aficionado to another…