Heirloom?

Well, today Amber was working diligently on her inside Christmas decorations and I was thinking about doing some more decorating outside when I received the following instructions from Amber. "Terry, would you go outside and get Mama's old #3 washtub and bring it in so I can stand our Christmas Tree in it?"

I hesitated answering her and then I hesitated some more. You see, about a month or so ago, I needed something in which to sour some Maize in to use for baiting the pier for catfish. The #3 tub was just what the doctor ordered and I don't recall if the fact that it had once belonged to my mother in law came into play or not but it became my designated maize souring tub and as of today it was still full of souring grain.

I decided to come clean and told her about the tub's present duties and after an abnormally long period of silence, even for Amber, she finally told me to clean out the tub and bring it in ASAP! I explained that souring Maize was a lot like atomic radiation, it just takes a long time for it to dissipate.

There is not much sense going into detail in regards to  the rest of that conversation. I was dispatched into town to locate and purchase #3 Galvanized tub and begin an immediate decontamination of  the previously unknown priceless heirloom.