So what is a Marionberry????


 
I chose to name my website MARIONBERRY DESIGN because it is my favorite blackberry. What I soon found out is that many outside the Pacific Northwest had no clue what a marionberry was! ! I was asked if I named my shop after the Washington DC guy, or do I know someone named "Marion". Well now I am on a mission to educate everyone just what a MARIONBERRY is...



Here is the "official" description of the Marionberry--direct from the Oregon Berry Commssion

Fresh season is typically July 10 - August 10.

  • A native Oregonian. A cross between Chehalem blackberry and Olallieberry blackberry.
  • Medium-sized (5.0g) dark red to black berry with a medium seed and central receptacle.
  • Known as the Cabernet of Blackberries for its complex, rich earthy flavor.
  • Bred at Oregon State University and raised primarily in Oregon.
  • Named after Marion County, Oregon
  • Oregon produces 28-33 million pounds annually.

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The History of APRONS



I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath.  Because she only
had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than
dresses and they 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, grandma 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, Grandma walked out onto
the porch, waved her apron, and the men 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.



Grandma used to set her 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.............

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Remembering Mom's Clothesline
 
There is one thing that's left out. We had a long wooden pole (clothes pole) that was used to push the clotheslines up so that longer items (sheets/pants/etc.) didn't brush the ground and get dirty. You have to be a "certain age" to appreciate this one.... (But you YOUNGER ones can read about "The GOOD ol' days"!!) I can hear my mother now.....
 
 
THE BASIC RULES FOR CLOTHESLINES: (If you don't even know what clotheslines are, better skip this.)
1. You had to hang the socks by the toes... NOT the top.
2. You hung pants by the BOTTOM/cuffs... NOT the waistbands.
3. You had to WASH the clothesline(s) before hanging any clothes - walk the entire length of each line with a damp cloth around the lines.
4. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order, and always hang "whites" with "whites," and hang them first.
5. You NEVER hung a shirt by the shoulders - always by the tail! What would the neighbors think?
 6. Wash day on a Monday! NEVER hang clothes on the weekend, or on Sunday, for Heaven's sake!
7. Hang the sheets and towels on the OUTSIDE lines so you could hide your "unmentionables" in the middle (perverts & busybodies, y'know!)
8. It didn't matter if it was sub-zero weather... clothes would "freeze-dry."
9. ALWAYS gather the clothes pins when taking down dry clothes! Pins left on the lines were "tacky"!
10. If you were efficient, you would line the clothes up so that each item did not need two clothes pins, but shared one of the clothes pins with the next washed item.
11. Clothes off of the line before dinner time, neatly folded in the clothes basket, and ready to be ironed.
 
 
And now a POEM ...
A clothesline was a news forecast, To neighbors passing by,
There were no secrets you could keep, When clothes were hung to dry.
It also was a friendly link, For neighbors always knew If company had stopped on by,
To spend a night or two. For then you'd see the "fancy sheets", And towels upon the line; You'd see the "company table cloths", With intricate designs.
The line announced a baby's birth, From folks who lived inside,
As brand new infant clothes were hung, So carefully with pride!
The ages of the children could, So readily be known
 By watching how the sizes changed, You'd know how much they'd grown!
It also told when illness struck, As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe too, Haphazardly were strung.
It also said, "On vacation now", When lines hung limp and bare.
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged, With not an inch to spare!
New folks in town were scorned upon, If wash was dingy and gray,
 As neighbors carefully raised their brows, And looked the other way.
But clotheslines now are of the past, For dryers make work much less.
Now what goes on inside a home, Is anybody's guess!
I really miss that way of life, It was a friendly sign
When neighbors knew each other best... By what hung out on that line.