October 10, 2015 – Finland, Minnesota

The cowboys must have had it pretty good in those old bath houses…

…I think to myself as I heat up some water for an old-fashioned spit bath. I gather my shaving materials, body wash, and rag (a torn piece of clothing) as I prepare for a long-awaited clean-up session. How long has it been since I bathed at the Abazs farm? Over a week now? I would probably wait longer to do this if I wasn’t meeting up with one of the female naturalists that I met last month to go hiking relatively nearby. I begin soaking my skin with the hot water.

How long could I go?

I mindlessly apply shaving cream to my neck and head whilst questioning the necessity of bathing daily, as I would when I was living my “normal” life in the city. How much water and energy could we save if we bathed every over day? Every three days? Then I wonder about the point in time in which our society decided that we should bathe every day. Maybe when we had the luxury to do so? I remember Lise saying, “We use what we have available,” but then I stop my thought process before I get depressed.

Back to Sarah. My current motivation to get clean. I begin the shaving process as I revisit our first encounter- a social gathering during my time at the farm last month. We played a drinking game known as “True American,” a game involving trivia, ground-is-lava rules, and many other shenanigans. As participants move around the room, passing each other, I found her at a point and took an immediate liking. We henceforth bent one of the rules for the remainder of the game, and before I left, I made it very clear that I was fond of her in a way.

Booze-induced confidence.

Either way, I find myself being thankful for having a friend to visit in such a remote area in which I never expected to have the luxury. I’ll gladly give up running water for that. It is true, however, that if it were a man, I may not have shaved. Or bathed. Or put on fresh clothing.

The power of a feminine presence is astounding.

“All places where women are excluded tend downward to barbarism; but the moment she is introduced, there come in with her courtesy, cleanliness, sobriety, and order.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe