The principle use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath,
but along with that, it served as a holder 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 old 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 it 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 on the porch and waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to  come in from the fields for dinner. It will be a long time before anyone  invents something that will replace that old-time apron that served so many purposes.
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