Keeping a Promise to Martha

Winter, 2012

In 1783, at the end of the American Revolution, General George Washington's journey from New York back to Mount Vernon makes for incredible reading. Just the image of his officers ~ men who had spent years in dire warfare and emerged victorious ~ breaking down in tears at the thought of their commander's departure ... this demonstrates the greatness of the man. Here you see why Washington is truly a revered hero.

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The Eilers Home

Winter, 2012

Plenty of people have a fondness for the simple, more primitive look reflected in American homes built from the 1700s and well into the 1800s but are living in homes much more contemporary. That's where interior-design creativity so excellently demonstrated in the Florida home of Jude and Fred Eilers is a real inspiration. Using early wall sections and woodwork, this charming and inventive couple have created a harmonious environment for their splendid collection of American and English antique furnishings.

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Maggie's Butternut House

Fall, 2012

Maggie Bonanomi is a well-known textile artist and teacher, as well as author of several popular books of textile projects. Her 1840s home in Lexington, Missouri, reflects her vibrant artistic sense throughout ~ especially her fondness for things worn, weathered and mended. Maggie was a delight to interview, and her philosophy of life is really contagious!

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Praise the Pumpkin!

Fall, 2012

We may take pumpkins for granted, especially in Autumn, but this fruit was vitally important to the Native Americans and to the colonists who learned from them to appreciate the pumpkin as a necessary food ~ tasty, versatile, and easy to preserve. This article was a joy to research, and from it you might learn some surprising things about this humble fruit.

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The McQueen House

Spring, 2012

I particularly enjoyed writing this article because it's the story of a woman who wouldn't give up on her dream. Shelvy McQueen for years and years wanted a log cabin ~ was obsessed with them ~ and finally got one through a quirk and coincidence. The home of Shelvy and her husband Clarence in little Waldron, Indiana, is inspirational for lovers of the 'primitive' look.

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William Matthew Prior

Summer, 2012

I love the rich heritage of American folk art and have long admired the influential work of early-1800s artist William Matthew Prior, so writing this article was a pure delight for me. Prior was one of the few folk artist who also could paint in a more academic style, but usually painted in this plain manner so he could charge his clients far less per painting ~ and it was his plain style that set the standard for most early American portraiture.  He was one interesting fellow!

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Dooryard Gardens

Special Home & Garden Issue, 2012

For two centuries, the small plot of land directly in front of the house was where the woman of the house planted her favored vegetables, medicinal plants and the flowers she used to add some beauty to her home. "Front Dooryard" eventually got shortened to "front yard" and eventually disappeared as a special household province. This article explains the evolution and some of the favored plants that once graced America's dooryards.

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Vegetable Gardens Then and Now

Special Home & Garden Issue, 2012

Vegetable gardening in the 1700s had challenges we don't even dream of today, especially the problem of water during times of drought. Much was different, but much about gardening also is the same, comparing the two eras. The basis for this article is Wesley Greene, historical gardener at Colonial Williamsburg, and a fascinating expert on the topic. If you grow vegetables today, you'll find this interesting.

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The Campbell House

Fall, 2011

Cheri and Jim Campbell own one of the surviving buildings of a 19th-century Swedish religious colony at Bishop Hill, in western Illinois. This is the story of the Campbell's and their journey to obtain their treasured home, the evolution of their decorating style and some of the other homes they've worked hard to restore or rebuild. 

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Honeybees in Early America

Summer, 2011

This was an especially fun article for me to write because beekeeping was my hobby for several years. Not only is the history of the honeybee in early America fascinating to me - it took the bees 230 years to cross the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific - but I was also able to incorporate a few episodes from my own days as a beekeeper.

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Planting by the Signs

Summer, 2011

I've long been interested in the centuries-old practice of planting by the position of the planets. I have an old journal kept by a great-great-great-grandfather of mine - who was a farmer in Maryland - where he'd drawn the sign of the zodiac for each day, just so he'd know. There's more science to this than you may believe.

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Christmas During the Civil War

Winter, 2011

No war ravaged Americans as much as our Civil War, and no war was harder on Christmas, yet there were extraordinarily touching incidents and compassion shown by troops North and South. This is a holiday article that lays out some harsh reality as well as the beauty of the human soul.

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An Eye for Antiques

Winter, 2010

The world of American antiques has been in flux for several years, and I've had several questions about what's next and what would a beginning collector do today. So when ASL editor Jill Peterson offered the opportunity to talk with one of New England's leading dealers and collectors ~ Stephen Corrigan of Rockingham, Vermont ~ I jumped at the chance. Here's what Stephen says, along with comments about his collection and wonderful 1770 house.

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Candles in Early America

Summer, 2010

Candles were a mainstay of everyone's existence for America's first two hundred years. They also evolved greatly during those two centuries, steadily improving as colonists found new ways to make wax that burned brighter and stood straighter even on summer nights or when close to the hearth. Here's a brief history of the American candle before the discovery of whale oil became a major source of light.

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Mary Frost House

Summer, 2012

During the 1980s, Mary Frost went through a conversion from the formal Colonial look she'd perfected in her western Florida home. She stripped the walls of their Williamsburg wallpapers, sold off some of her treasured furniture and chose instead a simpler setting with more battered and worn country furniture. This fascinated me because it's a shift in taste and attitude I still see a lot of people going through today.

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Dogs in the New Land

Fall, 2010

Dog-lovers will love this article. I found a number of extraordinary instances where man's best friend played pivotal roles in American history. I truly believe what I wrote: "Surely, European immigrants could have settled America without dogs, but it's difficult to imagine how." A Simple Life publisher Jill Peterson arranged for the exceptional animal artist Joseph Sulkowski to provide several of his beautiful paintings to illustrate the article.

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