The Apron

I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect

the dress underneath, 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,

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 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.

~~~~

author unknown

googleimages.com