Living in the wilderness has some compensations. True we have no services that those in urban settings take for granted, trash collection, cable TV, municipal water or sewer systems to name a few. But we do have “Honey Wagons”, these are driven by the folks who empty septic tanks every few years, not the world’s most desirable occupation but improved by a sense of Humour.
My personal favorite.
Boadicea's Chariot 
There is one you might like to add: “Sweet Pea Septic Services” with the image of a skunk holding its nose in a field of flowers.
My! I’ve never seen the like round here. Mind you I don’t think the Pacific NW has much of a sense of humour.
Christina, that was certainly true of the bankers from Portland, Oregon who bought the firm I worked for. They were referred to at the plant as the ‘seagulls’, for their habit of flying in, defecating on us, stealing our stuff and flting away.
Lovely J! They really are so up themselves and PC round here it isn’t true compared with the rest of the country!
I had more laughs in 6 weeks last summer in Wales than you’d get in ten years here.
I have to admit that all my real friends here are either Europeans or expatriate Canadians, I don’t bother with the rest.
I always liked the Southerners best. Memphis was a brilliant and very amusing place to live. Oh but the climate was a dog.
LW whilst you don’t receive the services out in the sticks neither do you receive the bloody bills!
No sewerage precept on the rates and no water bill either. Saves thousands. And if you look after your septic tank you don’t need it pumped either.
I have been appalled by the water bills the resident gets on my rental in town. All the water is metered there and I know they are very careful but still a $100/month—eek! The town refuses to send the bill to tenants so sends it to the agent who adds it to the next month’s rent.
Considering I keep trickle hoses going at least 12 hours a day all summer out here I don’t fancy having to pay that lot! One of the things that keeps us from retiring to the little house.
Hello Christopher: Have not seen that one, I shall look out fro it. The trucks here all seem to be well kept and clean, strange considering the business they are in.
Mrs. O. Property taxes here well exceed the first mortgage I acquired. I have just received from the county my 2014 property tax (rates?) assessment for my modest spread. $7,200 for the year, for which we receive…. err…nothing. No kids in school, no road repairs or snow removal, no water or sewage hookup, no trash collection, nearest Hospital 15 miles, nearest police presence (county sheriff) 12 miles, nearest library 10 miles, nearest store 6 miles.
There is a special “idiot” rate for those having waterfront property. I pay more than my neighbor farmer pays on his 1,200 acres. I’m not moving, I like it here.
Oh my God! and I thought we were hard done by at half that for 5 acres and a modest ranch style.aaarrrgghhh!
Mind you the grottage in town on a postage stamp is 2500! Bloody ludicrous.
What do they do with it one wonders.
Here its educating all the spic brats they breed every ten months! Shoals of them, more like herring.
If only people had to pay the real costs for their children they would be a lot more careful in their production.
The education precept dwarves any other line on the demand. We got ours yesterday too, so one is all too sensitised to how much they cost at the moment!!!
LW Do you have a private trash collection? Or have to haul it to the dump?
We have a collection but it is private and on top of the rates.
Mrs O. The school portion is by far the largest chunk, not that there is much to show for it amongst the feral youth hereabouts.
Re trash: The trash haulers will not come down the private hill, so they ask that the bins be at the top. I have to put them on my truck to get them up there. The transfer station is about two miles from us, so I haul it there, $5 a load if the recyclables are separated, (not included in the property taxes of course).
LW: If you would like, I can try to take a picture of it for you when I’m in California again.
CO: agreed on Southerners. I tend to get on brilliantly with them — we take turns taking the piss out of each other. The food is also excellent. I’ve received a number of fantastic home recipes from southern friends and acquaintances. Minnesota might compete with the Pacific Northwest for political correctness, however — especially in the Twin Cities.
A cherished colleague of mine in Vermont was an engineer from Alabama, whose favourite retort to the uptight CEO was, “Whatever blows yer dress up, Dick!”
One hesitates to remark what the Cockney rhyming slang for an American is. It would doubly upset any Southerners! 🙂
FEEG, do tell us more. 🙂
Septic tank. Geddit? 🙂
Christopher: Thank you, I would appreciate that.
FEEG: One of Ferret’s oft used phrases as I remember. The “septics” were not much liked in the old South, they are not much liked in the new South either.
FEEG, oh yeah……doh! 🙂