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P.J. from Carpinteria writes to me that during the tragedies of the last few months, she “lost control” of her household. “I’m now feeling like I need a checklist on …

SL from Santa Barbara is very sentimental about her grandmother’s wedding gown. She has sent two sets of photos, and each time she says the photos do not do it …

J.S. has four framed engravings on paper from the Victorian era, circa 1840. The titles are narrative, instructive and symptomatic of the mid-Victorian sentiment around art for the home: “A …

In the 1990’s I rented a marvelous apartment in an unrestored 1920’s building. Each of the 20 units had a 1920-30 Magic Chef gas/propane antique gas stove. The owner dumped …

C.R. from Santa Barbara finished remodeling her house and decided to go with a new, fresh look. She’s tired of the look of rooms we used to call “period,” in …

JD from Santa Barbara sends me two pieces of bright yellow Vaseline glass, both of which were once part of a desk set. You see an ink well and a …

The first time G.M. and her family evacuated, ash from the Thomas Fire fell around them. She packed up three cars and they headed for a friend’s house in Monterey. …

A.K. sends an old engraving on paper of Abraham Lincoln in oval form, bordered by scenes from his life. The bottom is printed “Photograph by MB Brady” with a Lincoln …

G.R. uses a pair of Polish Judaica candlesticks for the weekend Shabbos family meal. They date from the last quarter of the 19th century. They’re marked with the Polish double …

PS sends me a large red Chinese temple vase with two huge black painted dragons curling along the sides. The vase stands about 36” tall, the base material terracotta. Two …