City Mouse Goes to Visit Country Mouse

I grew up with one sister and two cousins. We were sort of "stair step" kids. I was the oldest, then Cousin Claudia, then Cousin David and then my sister Susan bringing up the "rear". (In the interest of their privacy I will not use any last names!)

My sister and I lived in a Chicago suburb near O'Hare Airport and my cousins lived on the south side of the city in a neighborhood full of nice brick bungalows (similar to where I am now in Bay View.) We spent a lot of time together because both families would congregate at our grandparents' home on a small lake outside of Antioch, Illinois almost every Sunday. Our dads and moms to do yard work and help around the house. We kids would play….and we had a ball!

During the years in Antioch we trekked through the woods, ran through the fields, played hide and seek in the next door farmer's corn field, skipped stones on the lake, read books in the hammock, rowed around in Grampa's rowboat and when we were old enough, swam off the raft our parents anchored in the middle of Voltz Lake. Antioch was where we'd enjoy Gramma's fresh pies - usually two waiting for us whenever we came….apple and cherry (fruit from their own trees). Antioch was where we spent "camp" weeks in the summer. Claudia and I sharing the hide-a-bed with "Mrs. Barney" in the middle. (Gramma invented Mrs. Barney….a roll of blankets designed to keep us from kicking one another and giggling to stay awake longer. A good idea that didn't work very well.)

The good times sort of stopped after I went to college - we seemed to "age out" of weekends at Antioch. And then our grandparents moved to a condo in Appleton and Antioch belonged to someone else.

College, marriage, raising kids, moving for career opportunities…..as adults we four cousins saw each other very infrequently. At weddings, at funerals and sometimes for a fun reunion or Thanksgiving gathering. Just enough to keep that cousin connection.

Now I live in Milwaukee, my sister in Chicago, Cousin David in Colorado and Cousin Claudia on a farm in southern Indiana.

In June this City Mouse is going to visit my favorite Country Mouse - Milwaukee drives to Indiana for a few days. Dave and Claudia's husband, Rob, will harvest some hay, Fenway will get to chase some cattle….and Cousin Claudia and I will talk, laugh and play catch up for a few days. It's all good - memories from yesterday and talk about future plans.  Cousins. Family.