I guess I'm still in a story-writing mood (actually, I'm trying to avoid the huge stack of genealogy on my desk!). I hope you all will bear with me and my trips down Memory Lane. GRANDMAS ALL-PURPOSE APRON Do you remember the apron that Grandma alway wore? You know, the one that wrapped half way around her, tied in the back in a bow and had a big bib to it? Oh, the many uses she had for that apron! First, of course, was to protect her house dress from getting dirty. But that was only the beginning. Aprons always had a least one pocket. She may have had a hankie stuffed into it but more than likely she used the pocket for a place to put little odds and ends she picked up around the house--hair pins, stray pennies, buttons, maybe a clothes pin or two--any little thing that needed to be put back in its place. Aprons were rarely spotlessly clean. Over time they got stained at the belly from leaning up against the sink or the countertop. They were always handy when she needed to wipe her hands on something. They were also handy for wiping her sweaty brow and handy when listening to soap operas--they wiped away tears in a jiffy. Of course, childrens tears got wiped away by aprons also. And childrens faces were spot-cleaned with a tip of the apron. When Grandma would see one of the kids with a smudge on his face, she would moisten the tip of the apron with her tongue and then scrub off the smudge. Aprons also were good for playing Peek-a-Boo with the baby. Aprons made good baskets. Theyve been known to carry a virtual harvest out of the vegetable garden and into the house. A flapping apron was good for shooing the chickens or herding the cows back to the barn. They made a good fan on a sweltering day over a steaming wash tub and they made a warm muff on a chilly morning. But you could bet your bottom dollar that when someone came to the front door, Grandma wouldnt answer it until she took off her apron and hung it up on a hook or a door knob. Heavens to Betsy if someone were to see Grandma in her apron! Vee L. Housman