Every spring, as soon as the snow thawed, a certain mountain woman would come down into town, have a baby, and gather supplies for the summer. This yearly ritual had become a predictable part of life in the small community, but the woman’s growing family soon became a source of concern.
After a few years of this routine, she looked despairingly at the doctor and said, “Doctor, I don’t know how much more of this I can handle. We got us eight kids now and I just don’t know how we can go on. I gotta do something about having all these babies or I’ll just lose my mind!”
The doctor scratched his head, unsure of how to gently instruct the woman on methods of family planning. Finally, he told her to pick up a ten-gallon bucket along with her supplies. “And every night when you go to bed, I want both of your feet in that bucket and don’t take them out until morning.”
Intrigued by the doctor’s unusual advice, the mountain woman was off to implement the plan. Her family and friends were equally puzzled by this peculiar recommendation, but she remained steadfast in her determination to find a solution to her growing brood.
That next spring, right on cue, the woman walked into the doctor’s office and promptly delivered another child. The doctor was bewildered. “Ma’am, I thought I told you to sleep each night with your feet in a ten-gallon bucket. What happened?”
The woman’s reply was both sheepish and resourceful. “Well, you see doctor, the store was all out of ten-gallon buckets, so I just figured two five-gallon buckets would do the trick just the same.”
The doctor couldn’t help but chuckle at her creative interpretation of his instructions. While the unusual “bucket method” may not have been the most reliable form of birth control, it spoke to the mountain woman’s resilience and her willingness to try unconventional solutions to address her family’s challenges.
As the years passed, the mountain woman continued her yearly trek to town, her family expanding with each visit. Her story became a local legend, a reminder that sometimes the most unusual ideas can lead to the most unexpected and innovative solutions.