It is interesting how reading something can sometimes spur memories about the most mundane things. Recently, while reading an article in the BB News, just such a memory came back to me about my grandmother’s apron.
When I was a child, we often visited my grandparents on the weekends, both to see them and frequently my other cousins. She would always be baking or cooking something and we never went hungry while in her culinary sphere. Though she always wore an apron, it was often, if not always overlooked. For us, it was just part of her attire – Grandma’s Apron.
I imagine, the main purpose of Grandma’s apron was to protect the dress underneath, which makes sense, since she was always in the midst of some task around the house. I guess she wore aprons because they were easier to wash than dresses and aprons could be taken off easily and tossed in the laundry, a replacement always at hand. In addition, it served as a pot holder for removing hot cakes and pies from the oven. It was always splashed, dotted and dashed with smears of a myriad of different things that were either cut, diced, blended, tasted or cleaned.
It was a wonderful garment for drying and collecting children’s tears and even occasionally used to clean dirty little faces or ears. When company came, her apron was an ideal hiding place for shy children, or pulled by cousins looking for something to eat or drink. And when it was cold, it kept Grandma especially warm and was her constant companion when she forayed outside. And when it was warm, her big apron wiped a lot of sweaty little foreheads.
Her apron was used to collect and bring all kinds of vegetables from the garden. She would also use it to gather onions, potatoes or apples from her larder in the basement to the kitchen, in preparation for another family meal. When unexpected company drove up, it was surprising how much furniture her apron could dust off in a matter of seconds.
In the morning, Grandma would use it to put her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. When dinner was ready, she walked out onto the porch in it, while gently wiping her hands, and everyone knew it was time to eat.
It will be a long time before anyone invents anything to replace the “old apron” that served so many purposes. Most would also go insane, if they ever found out how many germs were on that apron. But, I never remember catching anything off her apron—except love.