Remembering Nanna’s Apron

She would have been 94 years old this November 11th, she’s been gone 10 months and I have thought of her at least once a day every day. Sometimes on purpose and sometimes she will just pop into my thoughts unbidden but always welcome. Remembrance comes with a smile and a giggle or the slide of tears down my cheek, I know she is near at these times and it comforts me.
I recently stumbled upon this poem on Facebook about “Grandma’s Apron” it brought to mind all of the times I would find my Nanna in her apron doing her work. I would go to her side and “help her ” with whatever she was doing but really she was teaching me……how to shell beans like a pro, make bread, cook our favorite meals. All the while she would be retelling the stories of her life, her hardships and her triumphs always with her apron on. I miss this woman fiercely and hope I wear my apron as well as she wore hers.

Happy Birthday Settiminella xo

Grandma’s 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, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, 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-folk 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