The "ventilation system" is just an enamel basin hung on the side, along with an old rusty chain! It came that way. He hangs interesting stuff on them. I also have an old license plate to hang on the other side and I had a birdhouse hung there, but it fell off and I haven't got it back up yet. I've been thinking about planting hollyhocks but haven't done it yet. I'm also including a picture of the inside. Now my neighbors really think I'm nuts! It's 7:30 AM and I am outside in my slippers and pajamas taking pictures of the INSIDE of my john.....hmmmm...... Anyway, it has a bunch of cement blocks inside it right now because we live on a very windy hill and it did blow over once and smashed a bunch of flowers. I don't want that to happen again....it is a bear to pick back up. Mine has a seat but I think he makes them mostly just as garden sheds. Mine was a special order and the lady never came to get it so he sold it to me. Arlene

Wood ash can be used on your lawn, but with a few cautions. Turfgrass does best in soil that is slightly acidic (pH 6.3-6.8). Wood ash is alkaline, so if your soil is basic (pH above 7) then you don't want to raise the soil pH by using wood ash. Another issue is spreading wood ash. Due to it's fine consistency is can be very difficult to spread it evenly on the lawn. If you find a good way to spread wood ash evenly and your soil is acidic then wood ash would help with the pH and it contains potassium and other micronutrients. It's pH effect is not as dramatic as lime, roughly half as effective by weight, so overapplication is probably not an issue, but avoid having piles of it on the ground as that can lead to areas of high pH.

Restoration of old gardens? The "outhouse". My best memories were on the farm in Ohio, we had electricity but not water, an old log house which is now over 200 years old. The outhouse was surrounded by the most beautiful lilacs and a cherry tree. I went on a memory walk back to the farm a few yars ago....the house has been restored, but the outhouse gone. In days of yore, the outhouse was used as a prank by teenagers during Holloween....moved to some rediculous place, like on top of a roof. My father was a story teller and photographer, every time he showed his "slides", the pic of the out house came up and he would recite a poem by Whitman about the lilacs/outhouse/friend....I still have his book of poetry from dad. This was part of my history and the wonderful gardens surrounding both the house and the out building. Call me an idiot (by those who couldn't care less about this topic) but I've always wanted to build one in my garden. Not to be used, but more of a storage or garden shed. There are tons of plans and pictures of them in current gardens, some new and some restored. And many still stand. Sears Robuck actually had options for indoor plumbing or an outhouse in their catalog of homes.

I love it! You can see, it's build by wood of trees and now being consumed by trees! Konrad