September 16, 2013

Vernon Reeves House

Fall, 2013
This was an especially fun article to write because I first interviewed Vernon nine years ago for an Early American Life article when he lived in a large house he built in the woodlands of Missouri and filled with his considerable collection of prized primitive furnishings. Now he's in a much smaller 19th-century "sidewinder" home in St. Louis, a few blocks from the Mississippi. The radical downsizing has brought out Vernon's decorative creativity, prompting him to break away from his former decor into a style much more personal and ingenious.

September 15, 2013

Laundry: The Worst Chore

Fall, 2013
From the time people first began washing their clothes, laundry has been regarded as a back-breaking and time-consuming task ~ which was why people centuries ago only did washings once or twice a year. Researching this article was great fun and I gained even greater appreciation for American inventiveness in the 1800s, which made laundry day much more palatable.