I wake up to sunrise during these days
in Illinois. In my Central Wisconsin, I come down to the kitchen for
my breakfast in the dark at 6:00 am. Here in Illinois the sun is
beginning to come up. I can watch the sun rise as I pot around making
tea and toast. There are three reasons for that.
First, we are farther south. By coming
here, we've gained at least an extra half hour of sunlight.
Second, the sunrise is not obstructed
here. My Wisconsin home is surrounded by houses and trees. I don't
see the sun come up until it gets past the obstructions. Illinois has
fewer trees and we are out in the country. There are no farm
buildings to the east of us.
Finally, the land is flat. Gary
informed me yesterday that this farmhouse is on the highest point in
Rock County. I laughed at that. In Wisconsin, the highest point in
any county is on a high hill or even a mountain. This farmhouse is
only on an almost imperceptible slope that comes up from the Rock
River. The far away trees along the river are the only indication
that there is a change. The treetops are just a fringe in the prairie
scenery.
Gary says we can see the lights of
Dixon from the farmhouse, but we have to climb up to the second floor
to see them.
My mother, who grew up in North Dakota,
would love this place. When she moved to Wisconsin she felt
claustrophobic. Too many trees, she told me once. That is not a
problem here, but I do miss my forests.
***
We have no Internet access in the
farmhouse. To post on this blog, I must drive into Sterling or Dixon
and do my best to find a hot wi fi spot. Yesterday, a Sunday, I
spent half an hour struggling with the McDonald's connection before I
could post and I never got around to getting my e-mail or checking on
Facebook. Today I will try the library.
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