Mary Laney // Candles and photos add distinctive touch

"Welcome to my home," Mary Laney says as she sweeps open the doorof her Evanston town house.

Vases of flowers are everywhere. Some towering in sterlingsilver urns. Nicely worn burgundy oriental carpets fit the hardwoodfloors perfectly.

Two chairs, made especially for her mother by her father but nowre-covered in a hand-painted leopard fabric from France, are in anearby sitting room.

Plopped into one of them, Laney is taking a break. Her feetrest up on an ottoman.

The Chicago broadcaster, who has enough awards to fill a librarywall, is as elegant as her home. Moreover, she's extremelydown-to-earth. Startlingly so.

"Walk around, have a good look," Laney suggests.

Framed photographs of friends and family take up two roundtables adorned with candles. The photos are among her prizedpossessions.

A golden triptych given to her by the late Joseph CardinalBernardin is open above a white brick fireplace.

A kitchen wall is decorated with photos of great writers. Onephoto is of Ernest Hemingway reading in the buff.

So, she has a sense of humor.

A quick peek into the refrigerator is next.

Junior Mints. Diet Coke. Prego spaghetti sauce. Loaves ofbread. No fishes. The freezer? Popsicles and Lean Cuisine macaroniand cheese, among other things.

She shrugs and laughs.

The world's smallest sink sits in a powder room on the firstfloor. A back-scratcher is on the kitchen counter.

Laney's home is laden with family antiques, and each has astory.

A full basement serves as an office, where Laney recentlyfinished writing a film script and a novel. Although Laney stilldoes many documentaries, she hints that she may soon appear again oneither television or radio.

Over her back door hangs a moosehead, of the oversizedhand-puppet variety.

It wears a lopsided grin.