Cape Breton Post

Grandma’s apron

- Chief Meteorolog­ist Cindy Day

A few years ago, I received a letter from a viewer with a hand-written note inside. I teared up when I read it for the first time; I still do.

I would like to share that note with you today, on the eve of National Grandparen­ts’ Day. The second Sunday in September is a day that recognizes the importance of grandparen­ts to the structure of every family and in the nurturing, upbringing and education of children.

I don’t know who wrote “Grandma’s Apron” but I do know two Grandmas who wore them well. I would like to dedicate this to all grandparen­ts: 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.

If you’re too young to appreciate this, I wish I could tell you how true it is. If you’re not too young, I hope it brought back memories and that you’ll take a moment to forward the newspaper clipping to a friend.

To this day, one of my favourite things to receive … is a pretty apron.

 ??  ?? Ruby Lapierre (left photo), my maternal grandmothe­r, and Delia Lefebvre, my paternal grandmothe­r.
Ruby Lapierre (left photo), my maternal grandmothe­r, and Delia Lefebvre, my paternal grandmothe­r.
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Canada