Got Milk?

Here is a little something that I picked up over the weekend. It's an antique aluminum milk pail. I've mentioned it before, but I can't resist an object with a history. This one caught my eye immediately, because my Grandparents used to have a dairy farm in Texas. My Dad worked there before and after school for many, many years while growing up. He used to tell us a story about his Dad milking the cows. Kittens used to hang out in the barn, looking for a free handout, and one of them fell into a pail of milk while trying to steal a drink. My Grandpa calmly reached in the pail, fished out the kitten, and proceeded to wring the milk out of it back into the container. Then he put the kitten back on the ground and continued with his work. Waste not, want not. I could never decide if I should be amused or disgusted when I heard this story. In the end, amusement always won. Anyhoo, as soon as I saw this, I knew it was going home with me. Judging by the dented lid and scratched sides, I'm sure it has a few stories of it's own to tell. And I like that.

The purchase paid for itself within minutes of my getting it. Russ offered to hold the tin for me when we stepped into a nearby shop to look at Polish pottery. I had just started to look around when I heard the clerk giggling. I turned around and saw her looking at Russ, who was standing near the door, holding the milk pail and looking like he would rather be anywhere else than in this store full of brightly colored dishes. She asked him where he was going with his milk. We told her that we were looking for a bowl for his cereal.