December 8, 2007

Le Tablier De Grand'mère

Te souviens-tu du tablier de ta grand-mère ?
(Merci à Yolande. English translation in the comments below)


Le principal usage du tablier de Grand'Mère était de protéger la robe en dessous, mais en plus de cela, il servait de gant pour retirer une poêle brûlante du fourneau; il était merveilleux pour essuyer les larmes des enfants, et à certaines occasions, pour nettoyer les frimousses salies.
Depuis le poulailler, le tablier servait à transporter les oeufs,les poussins à réanimer, et parfois les oeufs fêlés qui finissaient dans le fourneau.
Quand des visiteurs arrivaient, le tablier servait d'abri à des enfants timides; et quand le temps était frais,Grand'Mère s'en emmitouflait les bras.
Ce bon vieux tablier faisait office de soufflet, agité au dessus du feu de bois. C'est lui qui transbahutait les pommes de terre et le bois sec jusque dans la cuisine.
Depuis le potager, il servait de panier pour de nombreux légumes.
Après que les petits pois aient été récoltés venait le tour des choux.
En fin de saison il était utilisé pour ramasser les pommes tombées de l'arbre.
Quand des visiteurs arrivaient de façon impromptue, c'était surprenant de voir avec quelle rapidité ce vieux tablier pouvait faire la poussière.
A l'heure de servir le repas, Grand'Mère allait sur le perron agiter son tablier, et les hommes au champ savaient aussitôt qu'ils devaient passer à table.

Grand'Mère l'utilisait aussi pour poser la tarte aux pommes à peine sortie du four sur le rebord de la fenêtre pour qu'elle refroidisse, tandis que, de nos jours, sa petite fille la pose là pour décongeler.
Il faudra de bien longues années avant que quelqu'un invente quelque objet qui puisse remplacer ce bon vieux tablier qui servait à tant de choses.

3 comments:

Jacques POIRIER said...

Do you remember your grandmother's apron?

The main usage of Grand'Mère's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but in addition to that, it served as a mit to withdraw food from burning stove, and it was wonderful to wipe the tears of children, and on some occasions to clean dirty little faces.

From the henhouse, the apron was used for carrying eggs, chicks to resuscitate, and sometimes cracked eggs which ended in the stove.

When visitors arrived, the apron was a shelter for shy children , and when the weather was cool, Grand'Mère would stuff her arms in it.

The good old apron would serve as bellows to kick up flames in a wood fire. It carried potatoes and dry wood into the kitchen.

From the garden, it served as a basket for many vegetables.

After the peas had been harvested to gather a few cabbages.

At the end of the season it picked apples fallen from the tree.

When visitors arrive unexpectedly, it was surprising to see how quickly that old apron could dust.

To serve the meal, Grandmother went on the porch waving her apron, and men in the field knew immediately that they had to sit down to eat.


Grandmother also used to put the apple pie just out of the oven on the windowsill to cool it, whereas nowadays, her little girl puts it there to defrost.

It will take many years before someone invents an object that might replace this old apron used for so many things.

Send it to those who know and appreciate that the history of the apron Grandma

Camille said...

Amazingly, I had a "grandmere and grandpere" but it was "grandmama and grandpapa" who had the most influence on my life. Grandmama (Lulu) was a worrier, e.g., forever ensuring that cool breezes from car windows did not bring on colds in her two darling granddaughters. So loved were we! What more can I say? Such warmth, dedication, envelopment from a warm, unfashionably (today) stout body. Stout is not the word. She was soft and embrassing. A safe place to burrow oneself. Grandmama, I remember and salute you.

Thank you, Jacques, for giving me the opportunity to remember that very, very special woman.

old enough to know said...

Odly enough, I am wearing a "tablier" at the moment. Come to think of it, I'm a "grandmaman" aussi. Just baked cookies for my hubby who is finishing old projects (window sills, staircase wall). I have been waiting for 10 years; it's deserving of donning the apron and whipping up a batch of tollhouse coolies and letting him eat as many as he wants. Plus whenever I strap that tablier you know you are going to eat something good. Wish you were here.