The story of aprons…

Last updated on November 23, 2014

It is a little bit sad, but I don’t think children today and future generations will still know what an apron is. The principle use of Grandma’s apron was to protect her 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 that’s not all…it was used for so many other things.

For example, it came in handy as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven and it was wonderful for drying children’s tears, and on more than one occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

Outside at the chicken coop the apron became a basket and was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs inside, so they could be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were the perfect hiding spot for shy kids. Those aprons worked like magic, somehow there was always a piece of candy coming out of the pockets…when needed.

When the weather was cold, Grandma wrapped it around her arms so she felt warm.

Wood was brought into the kitchen in that apron and from the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables to the kitchen. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls to the compost.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples and pears that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising to see how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and we all knew it was time to come in from the fields.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ‘old-time apron’ that served so many purposes.

Some would go crazy today, trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

I don’t think I ever caught anything from an apron – but love!

I read a story about an apron today and it brought back the memory of when I was caught smoking for the first time.

I was 15 years old and we were smoking behind our barn. Just a few kids trying to be grown ups. Nobody heard her, so out of nowhere…there was my Grandmother standing there and I knew I was in trouble. She lifted her famous eyebrow, gave me “the look” and asked us for ALL the cigarettes we had. She put them in her apron and they stayed there for a few days, until she saw a fieldworker who smoked and she gave them to him.

I knew she didn’t want me to become a smoker, but like so many young people I didn’t listen…knew it better and started smoking anyway. How I wish I would have listened to her!

It took me 35 years to figure out she was right…as always 🙂