My
Grandmothers and Mothers all had hand braided rugs scattered on
their hard, wide plank floors. They were colourfully crafted, adding
cheer to those keeping the wood stove burning its splintered wood and
the late evening's burning embers before bedtime. To keep one's feet
warm overnight for a few hours, mother would wrap hot pressing irons
in towels and place at our feet in bed...since bedrooms often had
little or no heat. Every fall with the harvest of vegetables and
fruits, my sister and I would assist with the preserving of fruit
into jams and jars and jars of canned fruits....even making pickles
and storing flour for baking. With a Singer treadle sewing machine,
she made all our clothes except for coats and boots. She too, had
these colourful flour sacks which she recylcled into other uses. In
those years, nothing was thrown out that might or could be used at a
later time.
If something was broken, it would be fixed...not
discarded and thrown out.!
I
extend my thanks to Meg for the following poetic words.
In that long ago time
when things were saved,
When roads were
gravelled and barrels were staved,
When worn-out clothing
was used as 'rags' ,
And there were no
plastic wrap or bags,
And the well and the
pump were way out bag,
A versatile item,
was...the flour sack!
Pillsbury best,
Mother's and Gold Medal, too
Stamped their names
proudly in purple and blue.
The string sewn on top
was pulled and kept;
The flour emptied and
spills were swept.
The bag was folded and
stored in sack ~
That durable, practical
flour sack!
The sack could be
filled with feathers and down
For a pillow, or
'twould make a nice sleeping gown.
It could carry a book
and be a school bag,
Or become a mail sack
slung over a nag.
It made a very
comfortable pack ,
That adaptable cotton
flour sack!
Bleached and sewn, it
was dutifully worn
As bibs, diapers or
kerchief adorned.
It was made into
skirts, blouses and slips.
And Mom braided rugs
from one hundred strips.
She made ruffled
curtains for the house or shack,
From that humbled, but
treasured flour sack!
As a strainer for milk
or apple juice,
To wave men in, it was
a very clever use;
As a sling for a
sprained wrist or a break,
To help mother roll up
a jelly cake;
As a window shade or
to stuff a crack,
We used a sturdy,
common flour sack
As dish towels,
embroidered or not,
They covered up
dough, helped pass pans so hot,
Died up dishes for
neighbours in need,
And for men out in
the world to seed.
They dried dishes
from pan, not rack,
That absorbent, handy
flour sack!
We polished and
cleaned stove and table,
Scoured and scrubbed
from cellar to gable,'
We dusted the bureau
and oak bed post,
Made costumes for
October (a scary ghost)
And a parachute for a
cat named Jack...
From that lowly,
useful old flour sack!
So now my friends,
when they ask you
As curious youngsters
often do,
“Before plastic
wrap, Elmer's Glue
And paper
towels...what did you do?”
Tell them loudly and
with pride, don't lack,
“Grandmother had
that wonderful flour sack!”
Written by Merle Baird-Kerr...October 31, 2014
To comment about this...email to:
No comments:
Post a Comment