The Old Tin Tub
by Velma M. Carlson

Back over the years as I recall ~
...In the Town of Caribou, Maine,
We were "little kids" and on Saturday
.........................nite,
Having a bath was a game.
...Mom would bring out the tub.
It was tin, I remember, and rusty
.................around the top;
But we could climb in to have a
......................swim ~
While the water was "nice and hot".
...What fun it was in those
............................"good old days."
I think I was number "four",
...But we laughed and splashed
And made such a mess!!
...With water all over the floor.
My mom would laugh, but sometimes
...she would scold if we carried
Our fun too far:
...But still she was kind, most of the
...............................time ~
We were done when the weather got cold.
...It was fun I recall, when I think
............................back ~
and we lived on a potato farm;
...We didn't have much ~ but
.........................."plenty of love" ~
Well protected from any harm.
It was rough in the winter; I
...remember the cold ~
But, of course we all loved the snow
...We could harness Old Maude,
...........................the old mare
And she would take us wherever we'd go.
My dad ~ I remember he worked so
...........................hard
and carried our water in from
..........................the yard ~
He split the wood, all covered with
..........................snow ~
But we carried it in, then to school we'd go.
He would cut the ice to haul from
.....................the river
How well I remember. We'd
...................."shake and shiver".
The winters were cold and they were
......................so long!
But our evenings were spent in "laughter and song"
...The wind would howl and the gusts of snow
Were so heavy and thick
Hard to see where to go,
...I loved it all ~ I'll never forget ~
It's a memory I truly love.
But most of all, as I recall,
...Is our bath in the "old tin tub!"

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