Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Grandma's Apron.



Tuesday, 10th October, 2006. Post 37.





Good evening and/or Good morning to you all. I hope you have

had a great start to the week, and that the rest of it will be

as good or even better than the start has been. Well I got

my capsicums planted today, so things are looking good. They

have a great taste in hot and cold dishes. ( i.e bell peppers)

Tonight’s story was sent to me by my friend Warren from

Wazzas Place and is called Grandma’s Apron. Thanks Warren.

For those who aren't "older than dirt", our grandmothers didn't wear jeans or pants of any kind at home, they wore dresses (all the time!), and to keep them clean, they wore aprons most of the time. These aprons had bibs to cover the chest and wide skirts that went halfway around the skirt---in other words, they were meant to "cover-up". I remember my grandmother using her apron in all the following ways (remember, my grandmother was born in 1900). [And Just a bit of nostalgia for those of us who are older than dirt.] Aprons 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.

Send this to those who would know, and love the story about Grandma's aprons.

REMEMBER Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.

Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

<><><><><>

Joke time - - -

A minister decided to try a different approach to improve the

church’s finances.

Oe Sunday morning, he announced that whoever placed the largest

financial gift into the collection plate could choose three hymns.

After the collection was taken up, the minister happily

announced the oldest member of the congregation, a sprightly

92 year old had won the privilege,

She was asked to come up to the altar to chose the three hymns.


Once up the aisle, she turned to face the congregation, looked

at them carefully, and happily said: “I’ll have him and him and him.”

<><><><><><>

Life Altering Advice from Kids.

Never trust a dog to watch your dinner.

When your Dad is mad and asks you, “Do I look stupid?” Don’t

answer.

Never tell your Mum her diet’s not working.

Don’t sneeze in front of Mum when you’re eating crackers.

When your Mum is mad at your Dad, don’t let her brush your

hair.

Never allow your three year old brother in the same room as

your school assignment.

Stay away from prunes.

When you get a bad grade in school, show it to your Mum when she

is on the phone.

If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse.

Never try to baptize a cat.

Don’t pick on your little sister when she’s holding a cricket bat.

Medical advice - - - ???

Q, I;ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life.

Is this true?

A. Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it - -

don’t waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually.

Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that’s

like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster.

Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q. Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruit and vegetables?

A. You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat?

Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is

nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to

your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is

also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetables).

And a pork chop can give you 100 per cent of your recommended

daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q. Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A. No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled

wine, that means that they take the water out of the fruity bit, so

you get even more of the goodness that way.

Beer is also made out of grain.. Bottoms up !!

A few quotes - - - -

Cheerfulness is the best promoter of health and is as friendly to the

mind as to the body. - - - Joseph Addison.

One swears by wholemeal bread, one by sour milk:vegetarianism is

the only road to salvation of some, others insist not only on

vegetables alone, but on eating those raw. . . .

The scientific truth may be put quite briefly: eat moderately

having an ordinary diet, and don’t worry.

- - - Robert Hutchison.

To put the world in order we must first put the nation in order;

to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order;

to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life;

and to cultivate our personal life, we must set our hearts right.

- - - Confucius.

Enough for this post. Take care friends. Be happy, Merle.


Post 37.

17 comments:

Susie said...

Merle,
How did you know my Grandma would be on my mind today? She did all these things with her apron, as well as hide a treat or two in the pocket for us! Thanks for helping me remember her on my birthday and the anniversary of her passing! This truly made me smile...
((hugs))

Mountain Mama said...

My grandma's wore aprons and I have a picture of my maternal grandma wiping tears from my cousin's face.
Precious poem.
Sweet-sweet memories.

Carole Burant said...

Oh gosh, Merle, reading about the apron made me remember that's the exact ways my gran used to use hers!! I had completely forgotten about that. I truly loved this part of your post and of course the jokes made me giggle:-) Hugs xox

mreddie said...

We were born in the country and I remember my Mom's apron and its many uses - wow, that's a long time ago. ec

Jeanette said...

HI Merle
Cant remember my grandma but i remember mum always had her apron on And if we fell over or hurt ourselves as kids do she always wiped our tears or our sore Knees Etc.Liked the jokes and good medical advice . Take care> Janxxx

Bob said...

This is the first time I visited your blog, I enjoyed the story of the apron, I'm wondering now how many people do any of the jobs grandma used to use the apron for.

Gwen said...

Hi Merle.
Who could forget"Grandma'sApron"
I sure remember my gran wearing her's, and it was used for all those things you listed and then some.
Had a giggle at your jokes as usual.
Keep Well Merle xx

Pamela said...

Merle, loved the story of the "Grandma's Apron", amazing all the uses...lol Sounds so handy, I wonder why it fell by the wayside.

Some of that is good advice like if you want a kitten ask for a horse first. hehe!

Have a great day! :)

Zanne said...

think i will go out and get myself a multi functional, all purpose apron, soulds like a must have item...how do we cope these days?
Found you my hopping through the links...love the life altering advise from kids... don't think i will show it to my kids though, i can see them adopting a few, ie, show mum bad results while she is on the phone!!!
Greetings from Belgium
from Zanne

HORIZON said...

Dear Merle,
This was one of the best posts- l loved it all and laughed all the way through. You bring such joy to our blogospere.
Many thanks
XX

Roshanthi said...

Hi Merle,

I loved your post on the Grandma's Apron. Unfortunately I don't remember mine, but thought it was pretty sweet. Hey my grandpa was born in 1900.

Margaret said...

Dear Merle, loved the post, I am older than dirt as I sometimes still wear an apron. I have some pretty embroidered ones and some basic functional ones. It would be nice if my grandchildren remember my aprons so fondly when I turn my toes up. I certainly remember my mother's and we girls always wore a "pinafore" apron over our clothes to keep them clean. Loved the jokes as usual. You definately are "a super blogger."
Love Margaret

audrey` said...

Hi Merle

Yeah!
Smile and be happy.
Take care, my dear friend =)

Granny said...

I remember my grandmother's apron too.

It was just like you said.

Now I'm the great-granny in jeans and a sweat shirt. Times have changed. Now I wipe the tears with the sleeve of my shirt. (Maybe they haven't changed so much after all).

Alice said...

You could have been describing my mother and her aprons. I don't think she did any job at all in the house without wearing her 'trademark' apron.

She never wore trousers until late in life, except for the overalls she wore for milking the cows.

I make aprons to sell so I often look at patterns in the material shops (actually, it's getting hard to find material shops these days!). Many of the patterns are for aprons that are far more decorative than practical.

Sandy Hatcher-Wallace said...

My grandma wore aprons and she did all of these things with her apron. Very nice story of grandmas apron.
Loved the jokes too.

Crazedmomof4 said...

I liked the Grandma's Apron. I am doing family history right now & I started doing my Grandma's side 1st, so my Grandma has been on my mind a lot, though, she didn't wear an apron when I was young, but I'm sure she did when my Dad was. But the pics of my Great Grandmas have on an apron.

I posted a pic of my Grandma when she was a kid. It was taken sometime in the 1920's. If you wanted to pop over & take a look.