The history of aprons.

[John Schmidt]

I found this on the Next Door site of my old neighborhood in Florida and felt a bit melancholy after reading it. This is a copy/paste so as to share it.

The History of 'APRONS'
I don't think most kids today know what an apron is. The principle use of Mom's or Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons 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, she 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, she 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.
Send this to those who would know (and love) the story about aprons.

REMEMBER:
Mom's and Grandma's used to set hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.
They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.
I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron - but love

[..]

 

[RP#62]

I thought it was the area out in front of the hangar.

-RP

[Ramie]

Thanks for the memory of my mother John.  She spent a lot of time in the kitchen cooking for 6 kids.  The thought of the apron brings back all those wonderful smells. 

[RNFWP]

That's good. 
Hope ya don't mind, I'm gonna copy/paste that and share it with my siblings.

[Oss]

I may be the world's messiest eater

Sauce, oil from pasta, whatever it is, it will find its way onto my tie or the nice shirt

So I bought a $3 apron and keep it in my desk

GeneralTso landed on it yesterday  Shirt is still pristine

Best $3 ever spent

I should bring it with me when I go for italian food as the garlic and olive oil on the pasta always lands on my shirt

Or ask for a lobster bib

Great story John