How I live, Conclussion.

[ambitious_wench]

I've been trying to come up with an ending to this series. The feedback I've gotten has surprised me at times, the shock and outrage expressed here and on my Flickr stream. But it's not all bad, it really isn't. Besides the incredible scenery, sometimes the kindness and consideration of the guests touches me deeply.

So here, for the final point, is an email I just had the pleasure of writing.

Dear Staff and Facilty of Dana Middle School, San Pedro, CA

Recently a group of Dana Middle School students spent some time in Yosemite National Park as part of the Yosemite Institute. I was their housekeeper on the day they left.

It's not an easy job being a housekeeper at Curry Village in winter; It's a long walk in the cold from where we receive our assignments, and usually a long wait while the students pack up their stuff. We have to fill a large cart with our linens, and push it over uneven ground, often covered in snow and ice. Sometimes in the rain. Uphill, both ways, in snow!

Imagine my surprise and delight when I wheeled my laden cart up to the first room on my list and saw a young lady sweeping the floor in her tent cabin. The linens had been stripped and piled on the floor. And then, to my utter shock, a chaperon stepped up to me and said "We're trying to teach the kids about social responsibility, there should be a $1 tip in each room".

Flummoxed. Gobsmacked. Utterly stunned. Your students impressed me deeply. And the thoughtfulness of the chaperons truly humbled me.

I'm a photographer who works as a housekeeper in order to live in Yosemite. I will be sending an 8x10 print of one of my photographs to your school in thanks for the work you do educating our future.

On behalf of service workers, thank you. It is truly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Edie Howe
http://littleredtent.net/LRTblog

Comments

[mr-figgy.livejournal.com]

I read that as, "How I Live: Concussion". Fortunately this isn't the case.

[ambitious-wench.livejournal.com]

Well, it might explain why I put up with this life.

[ladyfox7oaks.livejournal.com]

Outrage? I don't get it.
OK- granted- you live in circumstances that a great many people would find hideously cramped and barely fit for their dogs... but then- YOU get to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, and you've learned how to live there.
That's the key- You've learned how to live there, just as anyone has to learn how to live where they are. I suspect Beverly Hills would confuse and scare you- I know it would me!

There are some who would also be outraged that the house I grew up in didn't have central heat, only a fireplace in the living room, and plenty of mornings I got up to seeing my breath until we got the fire started out there. And I had to carry the wood up from the shed every evening after I got home from school. Sometimes in rain, snow, or just BLOODY COLD air.
Oh Woe. Woe. is. me. I learned to live there.

True- I didn't have to put on boots to go to the bathroom, but that seat was still COLD!!!

[moxie_man]

(chuckle) I have "central heat", and both seats are still cold.

[panacea1.livejournal.com]

Mox, there are people who think we're crazy because we don't buy cable TV or have cell phones.

Go figure.

[ambitious-wench.livejournal.com]

I pretty much lost interest in TV by the time Northern Exposure went off the air. That was even before I discovered the internets--I was always more about books and cross stitch and gardening than TV.

Last time I had a TV in my home...*thinks*

Damn. I can't remember if I had a TV in Johnston...oh, yes, we watched "Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter" on it. DVD. That's right.

TV lost its attraction years ago. Except for House, MD. That's some damn good writing, and Hugh Laurie is an outstanding actor--no, I've never seen him in Black Adder. Don't really care to.

I would much rather spend my time on the internets now, or out taking pictures. Or visiting with friends.

Cell phone? If I recall, New Hampshire has no cell towers--or is it Vermont? I have a pay-as-you-go phone, but I rarely give out the number.

One thing I won't do without is broadband web access. Gotta have my internets.

[ambitious-wench.livejournal.com]

Yes, outrage; Check out this comment: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ambitious_wench/3385606084/in/set-72157615801995357/

Beverly Hills? Not so much confuse and scare as piss me off. Conspicuous consumption irritates the hell out of me. Especially by the nouveau riche.

But you're right. I have learned to live here. I've learned to pare down to what I need for right now, I know that just about everything I own can be jettisoned should it come down to it.

I wasn't joking when I said that I've had walk-in closets that were bigger than my room. I owned a house in Washington State with a HUGE walk in closet.

BTW, the place I was renting in Mariposa had no heat at all, other than a rather inefficient stove in one corner. I learned to do my laundry at night, so that the dryer would warm up the other end of the room. I burned pine cones, because I had no money for cordwood. I picked the pinecones up by the side of the road, and would pluck the pine nuts out of them--delicious! Took a bit of practice to learn to crack those suckers, and to remove the papery covering. I still have a big bowl of unshelled nuts, and I still have to resist the urge to stop when I see one by the side of the road.