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TomChum
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# Posted: 12 Jan 2011 16:21 - Edited by: TomChum
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We have a little dry cabin in bear country. There is a creek nearby that I can get water from.
Is there anyone who has a method for washing dishes in the winter? I thought it might be a bad idea to leave food particles on the ground/snow. Bears can tear up a cabin, I don't want them coming even NEAR my cabin because they smell food.
Can anyone describe a dish-washing procedure for a small family in a small dry cabin? Paper plates are the first most obvious tip, but I'm interested in seeing a tried and true method of buckets or tubs. I don't have a lot of room to store this equipment either. How far away do you think the wash water needs to be dumped?
Thanks for any help!
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larryh
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# Posted: 12 Jan 2011 16:39
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I have just such a system. I like fairly simple ways of living and although I do have access to city water I recently had an old porcelain sink and faucet set go bad, so I took off the old ugly counter top and went with a dry sink kind of affair which I really like. The water now is available for the whole house at the rear of the kitchen and I manually take it from there. I built this sink top and dish washing area of pine lumber, but if I were to do it over tongue and groove oak would be the best. The pine even though I caulked it and screwed boards underneath the joints to help keep it tight has shrunk in the wood stove heated air leaving small cracks. So far its not been a real big deal and I intend to fill them but haven't decided if I will use more poly spar varnish worked in to the seams or some almond colored caulk I found for sinks.
I got two nice porcelain pans from an antique shop to replace the cheap rubber ones I had that you had to struggle to get the ring out of and eventually you couldn't do that. I also installed slide out shelf under the right side of the recessed area and pull it out to dump small amounts of things rinsed or limited amounts of dish water before taking it out to toss on the flower bed or yard.
To wash the dishes the biggest thing I missed was rinsing them under the running water. But pretty quickly I found that having a extra bucket of water to dip the dirty things in was handy. Then I do them as normal with hot sudsy water in one pan and the second to dip and rinse in clear hot water. I usually put a hand towel on the side of the sink area to dry or hold them while I dry them.. That way the water isn't laying on the wood top. I use a kettle to pour the water and heat it either on my wood cooking stove or my oil three burner cooking stove. I keep a small kettle of fresh water for drinking and taking pills on the top handy. I keep extra rise water in a bucket also under the center section. It all works quite well once you get used to it.
Larry
New dry sink and pans.
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Slide out rinse bucket.
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TomChum
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# Posted: 12 Jan 2011 16:47
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Cool setup. Nice countertop! I would love to find a couple porcelain coated tubs that nest together.
If you had a sink, don't you still have access to a drain? That you can dump this water and at least it goes underground?
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larryh
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# Posted: 12 Jan 2011 17:00
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No, its an old farm home and the tree roots had shut it down. I didn't want to tear out the whole line and reaming it out only lasted a few weeks and it was out of commission again so since the sink was going bad and I didn't like the counter top I built this one. My septic is the same. All the things the installed here in the 50's were not put in right and they came out way below the ground level so they were a constant pain to keep open and draining. Another thing I like about it is the water which I did install came down in the outside wall and even though it was insulated could freeze in really cold weather. I had a way to drain it since it had been a gravity line in the first place, but still I was happy to see it go. Now I can sleep at night without worrying about a pipe freezing and many spraying water all over the place.
These tubs nest together and I have a shelf above the lower part of the slide out bucket across the length of the cabinet that I can slide the pans on for storage if I don't want one or both there. The local antique shop has a number of these, they have small chips but some are in fair shape. They are going out of business so there not real expensive and I like them better than that plastic..
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PlicketyCat
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2011 17:57
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We haul our drinking water from the public well (potable) or in from the nearby creek or melt snow (general purpose) in the winter.
Since we're still in the wall tent in bear country, we use a combination of square Rubbermaid dish tubs (got them at Wal-Mart I think) and two large round splatterware metal/enamel wash basins (from Lehman's).
We normally rinse our dishes after use in a bucket ("dirty" cold water) and stack them in the rubber tubs until "dish day" because washing dishes 3x a day is very time, wood and water consuming.
On dish day, we heat about a gallon of water in the kettle for washing in the rubber tubs. Then another gallon gets left on the woodstove in the splatterware basin for the rinse water to make sure that it stays just below boiling.
When the wash water cools and the rinse water gets dingy... we dump the cold wash water into a slop bucket, transfer the hot old rinse water into the wash tub and heat another gallon of rinse water. When everything is done, we use the last of the rinse water to wipe down tables & counters and then everything gets dumped into the slop bucket and taken outside.
Now, in our cabin, we're going to have a regular double sink with drains that are plumbed into our slop bucket (we reuse all our gray water). We'll have to keep a kettle on the stove and rotate the sinks back and forth if we're doing a large load at once, but it should be easier to do a smaller day's worth more frequently with the newer set up in a "proper kitchen".
We've been out here for 18 months, and even though we've seen bears on our property (munching on our berry patch) not a single one has ever come up and messed with our food cache, trash cans or dirty dishes :) But we are careful not to leave food, trash or dishes around when we're going to be gone for a couple of days.
I agree with Larry on keeping the cabin dry... no pipes to freeze and no weather infiltrations in the exterior envelope for pipes and vents! We're planning a small storage tank in the loft (maybe 100-200 gallons) to feed a gravity line to the sinks, but we'll still be hauling that in from the well (either public or ours once we tap it) and using the slop bucket instead of plumbing out the drains to septic tank or anything. The only exterior drain we'll have on that system is the big emergency drain to empty the storage tank in a hurry if we have to leave the cabin ASAP in the winter and don't want to leave the water up in the loft to freeze... and the line to the sink will be PEX since that resists freezing way better than PVC, copper or steel and is a lot easier to work with and make repairs.
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elkdiebymybow
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# Posted: 24 Jan 2011 00:38 - Edited by: elkdiebymybow
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Tom-
Our set up sounds similar to Pcats-
We haul water in with us or melt snow on the wood stove in the winter. Our method is to stack all dishes in order of cleanliness and after we have a pot of very hot water we add it to a plastic tub with a little soap. Key to doing dishes in a dry cabin is to do the really grimy things last. We wash the cleanest items first in one tub, and rince with cold water in another then rack dry. If the wash water gets too dirty, we pitch it and start with new. We do our dirtiest items last but prior to washing these we will wipe with a paper towel to get the worst items off and not gunk up the wash water. We allow everything to air dry after rinsing with cold water.
My wife is a kind of sensitive about cleanliness and she did a bunch of research on rinsing with cold or hot water. Her research showed that a cold water rinse and air dry on a rack was best method in a dry cabin in terms of having sanitary results.
We currently pitch our grey water in an area I installed a deep gravel drainage pit. There never seems to be an issue with much food particles but bears usually aren't an issue at our place. There are a bunch of Black Bears around but they haven't been a problem.
The tubs stack nicely and fit under the table we use for food prep and cooking. Have fun doing dishes!
~Elk
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Pooks
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# Posted: 24 Jan 2011 23:13
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If you have a wood stove, use newspaper, paper towels or even coffee filters to scrub food bits and grease off the dishes before washing them. You can then dry the paper a bit on top of the stove in a colander or a raised metal mesh basket. Then, into the stove they go. You are left with dishes that need a minimal wash with a soapy sponge. If you don't want to put the papers in the stove, seal them - once dry - in some container. When you leave, take them along. Or make a fire outside once every week and burn them there.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 25 Jan 2011 17:05
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well i seemd to have changed over to paper plates.and regular silverware...but i went to get them and i realized i had taken all the dishes back home.no can opener ,no dishes.i went to our new property.there is an old mobile home there.right at the front door was some dishes.i grabbed them.came to my summer kitchen and boiled them in a pot on the stove top.I always made sure to do the dishes as we use them .if i leave them out dirty...in the morning i found out...the dish cloth freezes in my hand.so i do boil water on top of the stove.put the dishes in and get a stick to hold the dish rag.then i pour out the hot water and wash them more with some soap.then i boil more water and rinse.then i dry them and turn them over with a dry towel on them to cover them from chipmunks poos.
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Rob_O
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# Posted: 25 Jan 2011 18:19
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Quoting: cabingal3 well i seemd to have changed over to paper plates.and regular silverware...but i went to get them and i realized i had taken all the dishes back home.no can opener ,no dishes.i went to our new property.there is an old mobile home there.right at the front door was some dishes.
Hahahaha, I'm glad to hear things worked out for you
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 25 Jan 2011 18:19
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hee hee.
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Gary O
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# Posted: 25 Jan 2011 19:28
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Quoting: cabingal3 well i seemd to have changed over to paper plates.and regular silverware
Yeah, I'm not much of a paper plate lover, but tossing them in fire afterward has won me over.
One time we were down there trying to use plastic ware...those darn little wimpy things aren't fit for puddin.
Then I observed Cabi3 washing them afterward (not wanting to waste plastic I guess)....we now use the guest ware.....
This trip I thought we'd have to use the two hunting knives I have down there, but Cabi3 came up with a find, actual (silver) silverware from the shack/trailer on the adjacent land we just purchased.
It's kinda funny but washing dishes and normal chores are usually not the first consideration when thinking of living out.
Good subject matter, TC.
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TomChum
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# Posted: 10 Feb 2011 22:18 - Edited by: TomChum
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Using the woodstove to wash dishes seemed really easy and natural once we got into it. I had an aversion to paper plates, but in the winter, it's worth using paper.
We spent 4 days at the cabin (snowed in) and used several of the suggestions above. Burning paper towels (used to pre-clean utensils) was a winner too.
Still need to work out the summer method. I'd like to find a couple porcelain tubs like Larryh's.
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scout100
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# Posted: 16 Feb 2011 07:31
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This one guy I know that lives off grid uses 2 large plastic storage containers and a few gallons of rinse water with 5 drops of bleach to rinse.
Procedure:
He throws a dirty dish in the hemlock / sand mix and uses this to clean and break free the rough stuff. He then rinses. Then sets the dish in a sun-box outside to put full UV light from the sun on it. UV kills just about everything in the North Country that will get you sick.
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larryh
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2011 09:11
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Plickety Cat,
Just getting around to reading your post about the gravity tank. Wow that is some big and extremely heavy tank.. When I built mine it was a 45 gallon galvanized tank I purchased though sears at the time. When I researched how heavy water was I found that its about 10 pounds a gallon. Multiply by 300 and your talking major weight above your head, not to mention hauling the water up there! Yikes.. my tank was filled by a hand operated pump on the cistern. I would stay with a manageable size tank and just fill it more often. The structure that would be needed to support a really large tank would be quite intensive as it would need to be supported from the ground up or your going to really overload the basic structure I would think?
Larry
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2011 13:48
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i camped at a friend of mines Northern Maine camp, fall before last.....he had used a stainless sink he had picked up, made a counter top out of plywood, installed sink. He has his drain run into a 5 gallon bucket, which he used the grey water to "wash out" his potty bucket in his barn, he pours a dash of clorox in the grey water and rinses out the bucket. He is so GREEN!!!!! LOL
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millstream
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# Posted: 27 Oct 2011 20:20
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We have a dry sink that is piped to a filtration mound. Don't know if it would pass any current code, but it was put in, in the 70s. ? . I just heat water on the stove, wash in a tupperware tub, and rinse in the sink.
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 28 Oct 2011 00:40
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Wipe dishes with wet wipes,store dirty dishes in big rubbermaid container with lid until full,heat water on stove,use two rubbermaid dishpans one with dish soap,one with clean water,(will need to change this water once)wash the cleanest dishes first finishing up with pots and pans last,use a 5 gallon pail from Home Depot as a slop bucket. I've done dishes like this at camp for 25 years.
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sfrock
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2012 03:06
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Thank you very much for sharing your ideas and giving suggestions. I have the same problem that I wasn't sure how to clean the dishes in winter, but this helps me a lot. Using the woodstove seems to be the best option :) At first I didn't care too much, but the animals got a real problem there I have to care! ;) Now I will just use the left over water for the flowers uk and be more careful!
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Montanan
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2012 15:33
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Before we had our plumbing and septic installed, we did the same thing. We had our sink installed but it just drained to a big plastic tub underneath. We have a 2 basin sink so we'd wash in one basin, rinse in the other and then leave them to air dry on a rack. We also wiped all bits of food off before washing, so there was very little food debris in the leftover water. We used "green" camp soap and not much of it, so we didn't feel too bad about dumping the water outdoors. We're in grizzly country so we're always very careful about leaving any food around.
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Toofewweekends
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# Posted: 4 Feb 2012 20:25
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Is there anyone who has a method for washing dishes in the winter?
Two word answer: Black Lab.
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AlabamaDan
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# Posted: 7 Feb 2012 17:45 - Edited by: AlabamaDan
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Finally something I can contribute on! I can contribute how we do our big scouting campouts - the 3 sink method.
We use three rubbermaid tubs. These are just cheap ordinary rectangular dish tubs you can get at Wal-Mart. They easily nest inside each other and you can put a bunch of your kitchen stuff inside the top one for storage. I will call them A, B, and C to make it easy to follow along with the directions. I usually fill the tubs only halfway or a little more...not to the top.
Before you take the plate to the first tub wipe all the stuff off you can with a paper towel, or something. This step is critical to keeping the water clean to begin with.
After the big stuff is wiped off, Tub A is for washing. We put a few squirts of dish soap in here, then fill the tub halfway with regular water. When the hot water is ready, we add some to warm this tub up. This is a personal preference. I like the water to be warm when I am washing the dishes.
Tub B is the rinsing tub and gets just plain water in it. We fill the tub 1/3 of the way with cool water, and the rest (about 2/3) with hot water.
Tub C is for sterilization. This is a very important part of your camping dishwashing station...don't skip it!!! I like to use a few drops of bleach in the tub (health safety standards recommend 1 teaspoon of bleach for every 2 gallons of water)...but other times we use only pure boiling hot water. This is extremely hot and you will need tongs to pull the dishes out of this tub.
Then you can let them air dry.
By the way, this three sink method is the same method we used at a restruant that I worked at.
MORE DETAIL:
Step Five: The Washing Process
• Using a paper towel, thoroughly wipe any food residue off of the plates. You want as little food as possible to be in the tub when washing. One paper towel is good for wiping several plates.
• Start with the cleanest dishes first, leaving the dirtiest dishes, usually the pots and pans and mixing bowls, for last.
• The first dishes to be washed will be placed in Tub A with the soapy water and dishcloth or sponge, just like you do in a sink.
• After washing, the dishes come out of Tub A and into Tub B where you agitate a little to rinse off the soap.
• Now the dishes get moved from Tub B, the rinsing tub, to Tub C, sterilization. Be careful when you put the dishes in so you don't splash the hot water on yourself!
• Let the dishes sit a few minutes in the boiling water (Tub C) while you go back to Tub A and wash some more dirty dishes....put these washed dishes in Tub B to rinse, and while they are in there, with the tongs take the clean, sterilized dishes out of Tub C.
• Spread some paper towels, or use a portable dish drainer if you like, and let them drip dry upside down (we do spread out paper towels for this which we reuse all weekend)
And that is it! Now in writing this, it sounds like a complicated procedure, partly because I really broke down the steps into baby steps to make sure I was explaining it well.
But really, camping dishwashing is very simple and easy to do. Your dishes are done in no time at all...and probably with a lot less water than you use at home!
Dumping the Dishwater
Be sure to read the next section to make sure you dispose of your dirty dishwater with as minimal impact as possible on the environment!!!
Now it is time to clean up the camping dishwashing area! The method that we use to dispose of the dishwater also sounds a little complicated....but it is not at all...and it is done this way to wash out and clean up your dishtubs without using any more water than you already used for the dishes!
• First dump out the water in Tub A. This was the washing water with the soap...and will be the dirtiest of the three tubs (remember...check out the minimal impact method of dumping your water in the next section!)
• Now...dump the rinse water from Tub B into the empty Tub A (this gives Tub A a rinse with water that you already have).
• Now...dump the boiling water (it won't be boiling hot anymore) from Tub C into Tub B. So now Tub C is empty and clean and you are done with it. Turn it upside down with your other clean dishes to dry.
• So now you have water in only Tub A and Tub B. Go ahead and dump the water from Tub A again.
• Now pour the water from Tub B into Tub A so Tub B is clean and empty, and Tub A is getting its final rinse with the batch of hot rinse water. Put Tub B upside down with the clean dishes to dry.
• Finally, dispose of the water in Tub A and turn it over to dry...and you are done! And your dishes are done too!
With a small crew, the water can last for multiple meals. You might just have to warm it up with some frest hot water.
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TomChum
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# Posted: 15 Mar 2012 13:15 - Edited by: TomChum
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I like this method A-Dan, for the rest of the year, but not necessarily the winter! (its not Alabama but right now I wish it was).
Just got a tub to heat water on my stove. It's 'old' which I like, but when saw it at the junque store, I guess I was thinking my stove was a little bigger.... Well it works great, and while it could have been a little smaller, the extra size will help when there are more dishes to wash.
I put about a half-inch of water in it, and heat it on the stove. I wash the dishes right there, inside the cabin, WARM. Then pour rinse water carefully over the dishes into the washwater, which usually needs a cooldown by now anyway.
This is working good, I like it. And its warm. As long as it doesn't dump on the floor....
Enamel washbasin on small stove
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Nice size to wash dishes in.
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hattie
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# Posted: 15 Mar 2012 13:49
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 That is too funny! Buy hey, it does the job!
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TomChum
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# Posted: 15 Mar 2012 15:38 - Edited by: TomChum
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Yes it does. Now,,,, how to prevent it from looking like a chamber pot....
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 15 Mar 2012 15:44
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LOL! You could have a mighty BIG butt and still fit on that pot!!!!!
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