Cauldron!

It's been a crazy week...and still busy. Charles and his dad are cleaning out cousin Merel's house- he died last Christmas- and what a job that is! Merel was a life-long bachelor with an aversion to cleaning and a love of hunting. After the closer kin took everything they desired, they said that Charles/Dad could have the rest if they cleaned it up...... there is a bit of furniture in the house that we will sell, and a slightly tattered stuffed deer head that I'll drag to school, but most of the stuff is outside in the storage shed, barn and abandoned-school-bus storage place. A whole feast of scrap metal (they will cut up the bus and the old grain bins, plus there is just a bunch of metal around), fishing rods and tackle, two porta-potties turned into deerstands (with opening windows and one even has carpet!), assorted tools (we got the rototiller! Yay!) and other stuff that is squirreled away. Or I should say moused away, because everything in the barn has mice all around, and one trip there and I'm sneezing my head off. Worth it though because I got some priceless pictures and.....tada...the CAULDRON!

I have been waiting forever it seems for the right one to come along. I have a small, indoor cauldron that fits in the fire place, it's nice but not old- and I bought it myself. My beloved manz found one at an auction for me- it's iron and large, but it has a broken lip and we are intending it for flowers as it is a bit tired for a working cauldron. This one...rusty and dirty as it is- is in perfect shape. All four peg legs are on it, all four handle/rings for suspending over the fire, no breaks, cracks or weak spots. It will be a job to clean up, but worth it- and best of all it's free!

Not that I didn't have to work for it... I spotted it right off when I went out to take photos this morning. The manz said "Yes, it's a cauldron, but Dad want's it". I teased him that maybe his dad wants to give it to me for Christmas next year~ but no, it was destined to be a something in the yard or museum or sold or (God forbid!) scrapped. Later his dad showed up... Charles kept teasing me about the cauldron: Well what would you do with it? It won't hold flowers- no drainage. And I'd have to mow around it. It's to big for the fireplace...." he kept it up and kept it up until his dad couldn't stand it anymore and told him to stop picking on me- he laughed and said that he said I could have it to start with! (I couldn't very well answer the manz back with the truth- "I'm going to brew up a magic to switch you into a frog if you don't cutitout! (teasing)"

Thank-you, beloved husband. and your Dad. and Cousin Merel.

Anyway, I have this glorious new cauldron- just the way you are supposed to get one. Now I have to figure out how to clean it up, and then I'll work on fixing up some good mojo for everyone!