There has been a big pause in my writing this summer. After 18 years of residing in Colorado Springs, the house was packed up and "stuff" was transported back to Wisconsin, my home prior to Colorado. I have moved from the hustle and traffic of metro CO SPS with a population of 701,000 to the Village of Holmen, WI, population 10,616. We live in a small neighborhood bordered by a sand prairie on the north, very tall red pines on the east, mixed Trees on the west, and a main sort of road (although not very busy) on the south. Kids play in the streets and adults walk their dogs and stop by to introduce themselves. Main street of the Village , maybe a half mile away, is anchored by Smokie's Bar, Rudy`s Feed and Seed, the Meat Market and Locker (stopped in and purchased a pound of bratwurst today), and about 10 small family run businesses. August 16-18 is the 2024 version of the annual"Kornfest" complete with a parade, food tents, sweet buttered corn, beer garden , bands and more. Also featured is a float from the Sons of Norway (my former Assistant Dean is the President and has a prime seat on the float). We visited the weekly farmers market tonight and one of these evenings is one of the free concerts in the park. The major north÷south road leads south to Onalaska (16,000) and LaCrosse (~50 000). Important to persons of my age is hea,th care. Never fear as Mayo has a very large hospital and clinic while the Gunderson System has another large hospital and clinics. I suppose downtown LaCrosse is 10 miles away. Also important is that the Village has two mom/pop coffee houses and an old fashioned drive in serving fantastic root beer floats and the largest soft serve ice cream cones I have ever observed. The mighty Mississippi River is a mile away and borders down town Onalaska and LaCrosse. The U of WI LaCrosse is my former institution from where I "retired" 18 years ago. I will return to writing as soon as the unpacking lets me out of the cardboard entanglement.
BTW, I get questions about moving from the city to a rural area--will I get bored? At this stage in my life I am ready for some slow traffic and peace and quiet. I grew up in a small town in Kansas with a population of 400- and a high school with 47 students. My spouse is from an ever smaller community in South Dakota so we are familiar with rural life. The Holmen-Onalaska-LaCrosse area is a very, very vibrant community with two major medical systems and the University of Wisconsin LaCrosse (number 2 ranked public university in Wisconsin behind the flagship University of Wisconsin Madison) plus the private Viterbo University and a large Technical College. Across the River is LaCresent, MN. The Mississippi River is nearly a mile wide with many channels and islands and is a boater's paradise. The forested cliffs bordering the River are 500-700 feet high; so no Pikes Peak but a beautiful and different ecosystem to contemplate.
I will return to writing as soon as the unpacking lets me out of the cardboard entanglement.
For now, signing off from the Village. Mike