Day 200: Some of my older readers may know what purpose this unusual object served in its day, although I am willing to bet that few of them know its proper name. It is roughly 7" tall (not counting the handle), 9" wide at the base tapering to 8" at the top, and has a red plastic liner 5" deep and 6" wide. The liner is not removable without loosening several screws which hold it in place. I use it to hold small balls of prepared wool top for spinning, since I'm sure that Tippy would love to play with them if he was given the chance. Oddly, I do not remember how I came into possession of a firkin, but there it sits, having found a second calling in fiberarts, its days of holding butter gone with the last moo of someone's family cow. In some households, it was more commonly called a "butter box." As near as I can tell from my research into the style and construction, it dates from 1900-1910.
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