I don’t think =
most kids today know what an apron is. The principle use of Mom’s or =
Grandma’s apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had =
a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and =
aprons used less material.
But along with =
that . . .
It served as a =
potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful =
for drying children’s tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning =
out dirty ears.
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for =
carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be =
finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons =
were ideal hiding places for shy kids..
And when the weather was =
cold, she wrapped it around her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped =
many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.
Chips and =
kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.
From =
the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been =
shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was =
used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When =
unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much =
furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.
When =
dinner was ready, she walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and =
the men folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to =
dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something =
that will replace that ‘old-time apron’ that served so many =
purposes.
ADDED THOUGHTS:
Mom’s and =
Grandma’s used to set hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. =
Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.
People =
today would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on =
that apron. I don’t think I ever caught anything from an apron – but =
love.
~~
Dr Bob Griffin =
[email protected] =
www.grif.net
"Jesus =
Knows Me, This I Love!"