When I have visitors in my garden, I love to tell them stories about things they see as part of my garden décor! Things that are most important to me are items connected to a family memory. One of my most special memories is the story about Daddy Boyd's tub! Bob and I are so happy to have this tub in our garden now and it makes us smile every time we see it! 

When I was a girl, I lived next door to my grandmother and grandfather, Mama Bea and Daddy Boyd. We always had great adventures together. Mama Bea taught me how to cook, garden, have tea parties, and the trick to always coloring inside the lines!  Daddy Boyd taught me about the birds, cows, and how to find the new kittens in the barn. It was a wonderful way to grow up!

One of the most vivid memories I have of helping Daddy Boyd take care of his cows, one horse, and one mule, was every Saturday morning, when we would clean out the big old watering tub. He told me that this tub once belonged to his great-great grandmother! She used it as a molasses tub until it cracked at the rim and one leg broke off... That's when she gave it to him to use with his cows and horses. He had this tub for a really long time, and I was his very first helper. Early on Saturday morning, we would walk to the pasture behind his house with an old broom that was bent sideways from cleaning out the tub. We would sweep out the dirty water and scrub the tub as clean as a whistle, and then it was time for a swim.

I would crawl over the front rim of the tub, because it was the lowest part, and Daddy Boyd would walk back up to the house to the well. He would draw water and pour it into the trough that had a pipe that flowed right into the big tub. As he was drawing water, I was sitting in the empty tub waiting for that cold well water to come rushing out of that pipe to fill the tub for the animals. I know I would always scream when the water started to pour in. I loved it! He would keep on pouring water in that trough until the tub was full and I was neck deep in my own private swimming pool, except for the cows and horses of course! When they heard the fresh water pouring in, they always came over for a drink of fresh cool water. They didn't mind sharing it with me, but I have to say, it was quite a sight to see those huge animals leaning down for a drink while you were sitting in the tub.  They never bothered with me unless I got in their way, then they would just nudge me over. What a great treat for me and what a wonderful memory with my grandfather.

I would splash and play for a while, then Mama Bea would come down to the tub with a towel to get me out and dry me off! After that, we usually had a tea party of Pepsi and saltine crackers with butter or we would color and draw pictures! I loved these Saturday mornings. I think you would have loved them too!