Simple Life Writings: December 2014

December 2, 2014

American Hearths

The story of the hearth in America reveals the evolution from a crude and primitive society to one reflecting the warmth, comfort and practicality of advanced domesticity. This is one of my favorite types of article to research and write ~ a peek beneath the comfortable image we too often hold of the lives of our inventive ancestors.

Winter 2014

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December 1, 2014

Creating a Showcase

Marti and Ron Diederich are a creative, delightful couple who've built a saltbox in western Illinois perfect for displaying their exceptional original-finish furniture ~ much of it collected across their beloved Midwest. Theirs is a enduring story of various houses and years of collecting primitive treasures, including even the drama of a major house fire.

Winter 2014

CLICK HERE TO READ IT.

What's this Blog?

Here are several articles I've written for A Simple Life magazine. This blog is not affiliated with A Simple Life or its publisher, Homestead Publishing, Inc. The articles I've posted remain the property of A Simple Life and are posted here with permission of the publisher.

To read the articles, just click on the link below the photo and brief text. Some of these also appear in the Portfolio section of my main website along with other samples of my historical writings.

Feel free to leave comments on these posts. Thank you for visiting, and I hope you enjoy these articles!

What's this Magazine?

A Simple Life magazine ceased publication in December, 2020. For more than a decade, people fond of the simpler aspects of our homes and heritage savored this quarterly magazine. In every issue, it offered features about homes, antiques, recipes, gardening, and a dash of history thrown in.

Jill Peterson is an extraordinary photographer and writer whose earlier books ~ "Homestead," "Settlement" and "Homecoming," among others ~ found a receptive and dedicated audience that expanded greatly with her magazine. A main reason for its popularity was summed up in Jill's mission statement: "Getting an issue of A Simple Life in your mailbox is like getting a letter from an old friend."

Writing for A Simple Life appealed to me because the content was down-to-earth and without pretense. I consider myself fortunate to be counted among the fine group of people who helped this magazine along.