Simple Life Writings: September 2013

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.

CLICK HERE TO READ IT.

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.

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.