First Day - Dixon

This Illinois farmhouse kitchen is not that much different than the one in the house I grew up in. The kitchen cabinets are even older than the ones I knew in Wisconsin, but the wainscoting is the same with the same dark varnish. I expect it was that color to hide the stains of countless toddlers dragging their jam covered hands along the wood. I imagine some of that jam is still in the crevices. At least the painted walls above were kept clean until the children grew tall enough to leave marks there as well.

This morning I sit at the kitchen table writing a post on this notebook computer, though it will not be until later, when we go into town, that I will search out some place with Internet access.

Being here means hours without getting e-mail, without posting on Twitter, without Facebook, without the news, without being able to check my publishing account. I am going through withdrawal.

At least I have books to read, plenty of them, and when I tire of reading, I will go into the dining room to lay out my supplies: stamps, pens, and Christmas cards. By the time we leave here next Saturday, I will have the cards ready to go, save for the ones that will need a Christmas letter or photo inserted. Those will be done back in Seymour.

I brought along my address book which I have not updated, save for crossing names off, since the last century. By Saturday, I will have a new address book, much smaller than the present one.

Before we left yesterday, I put all my Christmas stories on a memory card. I hope to have them all edited by next Saturday.

Once a day, we'll be in Dixon or Sterling so that I can use the Internet. And meanwhile, I will be using this little computer non stop.

I think I will survive until I am home once again with my PC.