It's all about the Apron

I love Aprons.  Anytime I go into a store like Williams-Sonoma, Mast General, or a local boutique, I always look at the aprons.  There are heavy duty aprons and light cotton aprons and half aprons and smock aprons and chef's aprons.  My paternal grandmother never went without one- usually one of the old fashioned ones, that had been worn so long that it was softer than duck fuzz.  My own Dad, a man's man, used to wear his big chef's apron to cook, clean and brew beer.  After he retired, he would have breakfast in the morning and supper ready when we got home.  If we said anything about his housekeeping skills, he would start flapping the apron and fuss at us about how he slaved away all day and this is all the appreciation he gets.  He was kidding of course, but it created a wonderful memory.
I have two aprons- a smock like apron that covers front and back and ties on the sides that my sister made for me and the other is my favorite.  It's a regular apron from Williams-Sonoma with sunny yellow stripes on it.  I typically tuck a corner of a floursack dishtowel in one of the pockets so that I can wipe my hands, dry a dish, clean the knife, etc, etc.  I can't cook without it.  In a pinch, I'll use my Mom's apron (made with a chicken/rooster print), but it's not the same.  In a way, it might be like a security blanket.  I did some laundry last night and when I opened the dryer, the first thing I yanked out was my apron.  When the going gets tough, make some bread or cookies or tea or maybe just give the house a good scrubbing.  Just believe in the power of the Apron.

I put my love of aprons down to my family- it seems to be in our blood.  No matter which sister I go visit, they each have at least one apron.  A lot of houses don't even have that.  I found the following writing at The Open Pantry blog.  It says a lot about aprons.  And a lot about the way I was brought up. 

Irish
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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 knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be along time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.