Did Your Grandma Wear An Apron?

Loretta G., who is a reader, mother and herself, a savvy shopper, sent me a nostalgic passage called “Grandma's Apron.”  It reminded me that both my grandma and mom wore aprons in the kitchen, while I rarely bother, despite the fact that I own a very nice blue and white stripped one.  And not surprisingly, my apron is still in mint condition.  When I put it on, I do feel more like a serious cook.  

Once, while helping my mother bake cookies, she asked why I didn't wear an apron.  At the time, she probably got an eye-roll.  Now I think I know the reason.  It's because we've become a t-shirt and blue jeans society, and these are easy clothes to clean in a washer and dryer.  But let's go back a generation (or two) to reminisce about a time when life was more rustic and less convenient:

Grandma's Apron (Original poem written by Tina Trivett)

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. Aprons required less material, making them easier to wash.

And 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 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, aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, Grandma 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, Grandma 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 to replace that old-time apron, which served so many purposes.

Remember: Grandma set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.  They would go crazy trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.  I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron, but love.

Times change.  My grandma wore her apron around the property, my mother around the house, and me hardly at all.  How about you?


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