52—Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, May 27,1978
Denim jeans seem to have
become almost everyone’s
favorite article of clothing -
and farm wives are no dif
ferent We wear them, not
just because they’re
popular, but because they fit
so perfectly into our busy
lifestyles.
Once, in a moment of
■weakness many years ago, I
attempted to wear a dress
around this bouse. The cows
promptly got out, and I had
to hastily change to go chase
the rascals.
That was the first and last
time I ever attempted such
weekday feminity.
Farm wives of two
generations ago, however,
had a different favorite
article of dress. No rural
lady worth her canning salt
would have been caught in
public during the daytime
without her all
encompassing apron.
Mrs. Chester Stroh, a
speaker at the state Society
of Farm Women’s Spring
rally last week at Hershey,
paid tribute to those iong
wearing, long-suffering
aprons of checked gingham
or dark cotton materials.
And she gave me a new
respect for that almost
forgotten housewife ac
cessory.
aifa'iliHUl/ii.' ■: HRI/ R .1B SRjR □ R H Rl/ Ra R
How did you carry the
eggs from the henhouse,
your tomatoes and beans
from the garden, a supply of
wood for the old cookstove,
or the new nest of baby
chicks that turned up in the
back comer of the bam?
Why, you made a carrying
bag by grasping the comers
of that generous and ac
comodating apron and
moved whatever it was to a
more useful location, all in
one quick trip.
If company unexpectedly
dropped by, and the children
. sported dirty faces, that
apron served as a handy
washcloth and towel for an
impromptu facial.
The protective cottons lent
themselves as potholders for
the bread and cakes coming
from the oven, cloths for
cleaning spotted eye glasses
or dusty tables, or as handy
swatters for a pesty fly
sitting on your forehead.
Shy toddlers hid behind the
familiar apron and peeked
out at strangers from its
safety and security.
It was a sweater when you
were chilly; it was a fan
when the sun grew hot
overhead. You could laugh
into it or use it for wiping
away tears ofsadness.
And when it was dirty, you
f ♦
Ida’s
Notebook
♦
The square dance group,
Foot and Fiddle, which Allen
and I helped to start has just
completed its 31st year.
Sometimes other groups in
the county claim to be the
oldest but I disagree with
their claims. In fact the
forerunner of our group was
the Rural Youth of Lan
caster County and my
husband helped to organize
that group in 1937. So our
roots really go rather far
back in this area of
recreation. In 19461 attended
a Recreation School at
Plainfield, Vermont, and it
was an experience in in
ternational living. Some of
the participants at that time
were planning to travel to
Europe and start the new
state of Israel. There were
Negroes, Chinese and
Swedes, all living at God
dard College for two weeks.
But to get bads to what I
started to say - at the most
recent meeting of our group,
I was asked if I’d worn my
square dance dress to
could turn it over and there it
was, your closest friend,
companion and confidante,
all ready to serve you for
another whole week.
4 %
♦
Ida Risser
church. For a moment, I was
perplexed at such a
question; but, then I realized
what was meant. This style
of dress is now in “style” as
I’d discovered when my
daughter bought a new dress
for a concert. Imagine,
wearing my wide skirt and
rickrack trimmed blouse to
church!
A few weeks ago when
there was a strong wind
blowing, Philip lost his
expensive basketball. He
had laid it down along the
barn wall when he finished
playing with it. When it
rolled near to his dog,
Buster, his sister moved it.
Then it simply disappeared.
After a great deal of
hunting, it was found across
the river, wedged between
some limbs on the opposite
bank. Somehow it rolled
' - W ■■PfIKSMWB
NOW THROUGH JUNE 3rd
• FREEZERS • WASHERS • DRYERS
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• TV's • DISHWASHERS
• SWEEPERS * STOVES
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Cleaning Oven B Automatic Timed
Ovens B Tilt-Top Cooktop B Digital
Clock B Deluxe Backguard & Black
Glass Door B Quick-Heating Snap-
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STORE HOURS DURING SALE - 9 A.M. TO 9 P.M.
★ ★ ★ OPEN MEMORIAL DAY * * *
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ELECTRONIC SERVICE
Route 501 South of Myerstown on the Square in Reistville
PHONE; 717-949-3006
behind the barn, through the
woods and down a hill. The
wind must certainly have
had fun playing “basket
ball” that day.
Dust With Cocoa
Your favorite chocolate -
cakes can look and taste
richer if the greased pans
are dusted with dry cocoa
Baked cakes can be
stored—unfrosted—in the
freezer for three months if
well-sealed in plastic wrap
New Athens - Harris pine - Lea-Bassett bedroom
suites. New oak - pine and maple dining room suites.
Large stock of living room suites, hide-a-beds, sofa
beds, brass beds.
Recliners - swivels, platform, cushion and plank bot
tom rockers, bookcases - nice heavy coffee table sets.
We sell one piece or whole suite in most of our new
furniture. Large color selection.
Large selection of new and used bedding.
Lots of used furniture.
Ashley and Warm Morning coal and wood heaters,
FISHERY'S FURNITURE
Route 896 - 6 mi. south of Strasburg
In Village of Georgetown
Box 57, Bart, Pa.
Hrs : 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. - Mon., Wed & Fn.
8 a.m. to 6 p.m. - Tues., Thurs & Sat.
have a
nice weekend..
do somtthmg, anything
ijy r frrtrj
CT 7 ' >
Q