Wheat and Tares

It all grows up together in Southwestern Illinois--the myriad crops that have sprung from the fertile soil for decades and, more recently, residential subdivisions and commercial centers...more coming up each year.

Metro East isn't the kind of region we knew back in Western Washington--large cities with much smaller suburbs blossoming in ever-widening rings--but rather it's a smattering of small cities, villages, and farmland dotted across 1700 miles. Lot size is much larger, too--none of those postage stamp sized lots for our neighbors here. Maybe they have more time for yard work since their commute is generally so much shorter...