Dodgeville

We had a place in Dodgeville Wisconsin for several years, from 2000 to 2008. One hundred acres of walnut trees, meadows and a tiny stream. The house was just a few years old but in our usual fashion, we remade the entire interior, putting in a new kitchen, new bathrooms, finishing the basement - the works. 

We added a mini barn so Steve could paint. The former owners had planted acres of trees that needed special care so we built a huge barn to hold the tractor that kept the trees weed free. The tractor was  enclosed with air conditioning and a CD player, a source of endless jokes for the neighborhood farmers.  

I thought we would spend a month or two there in the summer, weekends occasionally in the winter, but our permanent base would be Chicago. By the end of the first summer, we'd sold our Chicago place mostly at Steve's request. I had no idea what full- time life would be like in the country but I was game for this new experience.

After two months, I had second thoughts. The quiet was overwhelming. Annie and Emma, our two dogs, seemed to acclimate immediately, happy to be free of the electric dog collars that kept them contained. Steve spent his early mornings at Culver's, hanging out with the dairy farmers. I had no idea what they talked about, but that became his routine. I, on the other hand, drank coffee and called a therapist who helped me over the hurdle I faced. A newspaper advertisement for a Director at the Iowa County Family Resource Center basically saved my sanity. I happened to have the training and they welcomed my participation. The pay was less than I paid my housekeeper, but what the heck, it was a job worth doing. When I left, four years later, the playgroup was full, Land's End parents looked forward to our weekly support group and we held some conferences about early childhood development.

Our grandchildren were very young during those eight years. I thought they had forgotten about the place, the picnics, swimming in Governor Dodge State Park, the balloons that floated overhead one July, the birthdays we celebrated and family events. But they remember Dodgeville as if it was yesterday and wish we still had it for visits. While I didn't miss it that much when it sold, lately I've been remembering the many lovely times we shared together.