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The never-ending housework!
I asked my grandmother in the 1970′s. . . I was twenty and she was in her sixties. . . what modern convenience in her kitchen did she appreciate the most. I was thinking she might mention the washing machine, the refrigerator, or the dish washer. She surprised me by saying, “Running water!” And then, “You have no idea, Irene, of what the word “housework” used to mean! Continue reading
Posted in Cape Cod, domestic life, housework, Marriage, Uncategorized
Tagged front parlor, housework, women's work
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The South Wellfleet Railroad Station and General Store
When Eva Paine Smith was a little girl, the railroad was constructed through Wellfleet on its way to land’s end in Provincetown (1870′s). This new, convenient mode of transportation enabled more frequent visits to friends and cousins in other towns, … Continue reading
Posted in General Store, Railroad, South Wellfleet, Uncategorized, vintage photographs
Tagged 1800's, Cape Cod, general store, passengers, railroad, South Wellfleet
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Blackfish Drive sustains the entire village of South Wellfleet
This harvest of small whales happened in Blackfish Creek at the site of the Southern Wharf pier in South Wellfleet over a century ago. It was quite the bonanza to herd in so many at once, and all for the “melons” or the brains. Continue reading
Walking tour of historic Paine Hollow, South Wellfleet
If you want to know more about the houses in the book Eva and Henry, A Cape Cod Marriage, you should join us for a walking tour down historic Paine Hollow on June 15. We will all meet at the … Continue reading
A rekindled talent
Thrifty and efficient wives of the nineteenth century were well practiced with a needle and thread, and just as we now depend upon the cell phones that have pushed into our lives in the past decade, the sewing machine became … Continue reading
Posted in domestic life, domestic thrift
Tagged economic housekeeping, mend, sew, Singer sewing machine
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Torturous beloved fashion: the corset
Women endured the restrictive corset as required daily wear for centuries, and finally cast it off as World War One loomed. Why did they endure dented organs and reduced lung capacity? Oh, the power of the desire to conform, and … Continue reading
Event at the Bee Hive Tavern, Sandwich, MA
I have managed to collect the most telling of the vintage photographs found in our family attic into a Power Point show (viewed the same way a slide show can be, via a projector). I am honored to have been … Continue reading
Posted in domestic life, writer on the road
Tagged author event, domestic historic fiction, Sandwich, writing process
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Breakfast with the Authors, Cape Codder Resort
I am so pleased to be on the panel of the next Breakfast With the Authors, sponsored by the Cape Cod Writers Center on March 23 in Hyannis at the Cape Codder Resort. See all details for making reservations here, … Continue reading
Posted in writer on the road
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Christmas Season, 2011
Christmas in the 1880′s was not the garish consumer feeding frenzy that it is today. It was a time to consider blessings and celebrate the birth of a savior. Attending church through the advent season was looked forward to by … Continue reading
Writer on the road
I have recently driven myself from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Bigfork, Montana. The journey was introspective while at the same time being very much observant of the big wide country I live in, and love. I’ve driven this way before, … Continue reading
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