2009-04-13

Now the midwest is all pretty similar in terms of accent and culture. People up here thought I had a slight southern accent when we came, and now my mom thinks I sound vaguely Minnesotian. Both Michigan and Illinois are relatively flat places. My concept of a hill would make anyone outside the midwest laugh and laugh. But things are oh so slightly different.

When we first moved up here I was so homesick. I missed my college town with it's big independent bookstore, terrific ice cream places, my favorite bar, my favorite restaurants and hangouts. I loved knowing the neighborhoods and the bus routes and never knowing if I'd run into someone from high school at the local cub foods. My new town had no bus routes, no really good bookstore--independent or otherwise, or good ice cream. It took years for a Barnes and Noble to move in, for the guy down the street to decide he could compete with Dairy Queen and open his homemade ice cream store. It took years for me to feel comfortable here. And the other day I realized that as of next week, I'll have lived in this house for nine years. NINE. That is longer than I have ever lived in any single town, much less any house.
But last week as I was driving home from my mother's house in southern Illinois, we decided to stay the night in Champaign. On the way home there was enough time and daylight to prowl around town, to hit custard cup and a yarn store. The next morning the sun was shining over the not yet tilled fields, gold with dried plants. You can see for miles on a clear day and I looked out at the horizion while Lyle Lovett played If I had a boat and my heart was fille with such longing such... homesickness.

Now after all this time in Michigan I can be assured that I probably know more people in this area, than in the Champaign metro area. And I heard that my favorite bookstore in Champaign had closed, and we probably would not have been able to buy the same kind of house that we live in now. Plus, I know from people I used to work with that finding a decent school for your kids is like... well like it is in many cities, whereas here in yuppieville, they are mostly all good. So I'm guessing that the problems inherent with moving back would outweigh whatever good will my buddies Lyle and Bruce (Springsteen that is) could call forth with their music.

But still, this trip reminded me that there will always be a piece of me in those flat golden fields.

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