Bonnie Mohr Bovine Art

From this calf's expression, it appears maybe she doesn't appreciate being seen associating with poultry this morning..........and having the proof embedded forever online as a photo on this blog. Tough!

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Last Saturday evening, Husband and I attended the annual Dairy Banquet sponsored by the Dairy Promoters of our neighboring county.

The county where we live has only a handful of dairy farms left, and thus there is no dairy organization in existence anymore. As it is, we live only a mile from the county line, and do all our business in the neighboring county, anyway.


The banquet was held in the parish hall of a brand new Methodist church out in the country, and what a lovely facility it is! Evidently, they are offering their hall as a venue for banquets and such, and they have their own committee of people who cook the meals. What a great fundraiser for them, plus it provides the community with a nice facility for large events.


I would guess there were over 200 people in attendance at the Dairy Banquet. We ended up sitting across the table from a couple from our church who run a general store not far from us. The wife, Pat, grew up in the same farm neighborhood that I did, and, in fact, her younger sister was my best friend in high school. Like me, Pat didn't grow up Lutheran, so we share a bond in that respect, too.


When it was our turn to go to the buffet line, Husband and I walked by the table displaying the door prizes, which would be given out at the close of the evening's activities. The prizes included four beautiful framed prints by Bonnie Mohr, an artist from Minnesota who specializes in painting bovine art. I don't own any of her works, but I've greatly admired it for years. The four prints were her new "Face to Face" set, up-close paintings of a single heifer or cow in a seasonal setting. As we walked by the "Face to Face - Summer" painting, I whispered to Husband, "Oh, wouldn't it be fun to win that......", knowing, of course, that the likelihood of that happening was very slim.



We heaped our plates with pork loin, mushroom gravy, cheesy potatos, corn, garlic bread, and colorful salads.......I liked the look of the spinach/strawberry/purple onion salad........it was a unique and surprisingly delicious combination. We enjoyed the food and comraderie with other folks connected in some way to dairying, either as farmers themselves, or business people who provide service to the dairy community.



After the meal, there was short Dairy Promoter business meeting, and then awards were handed out......Distinguished Dairyman, Cream of the Crop (that's the dairy woman award), and Distinguishing Service Award (to a business person). Don't think that Husband or I will ever win such an award.......they go to people who somehow are able to operate outstanding dairies and be very involved in community and dairy activities........I have no idea how they do it, but they have my admiration and applause! The new county Dairy Princess was also crowned.......this year there was only one contestant, which was kind of sad, but that's the way it goes. Our daughter was a candidate two years ago.......she didn't win......but, it was a nice experience for her.



We also listened to a talk by a woman from a state-wide dairy promotion organization. Her speaking ability was nothing to write home about, but some of what she said was interesting. Evidently, research is showing that the best thing for athletes to drink after the exertion of a sporting event is.......chocolate milk! They are trying to get the message out to coaches. Not long ago, during basketball season, my son did mention that the coach was providing jugs of chocolate milk for them to drink after games, so the message must be getting through. It can't be any worse than all that high-colored Gatorade kids are constantly chugging down.



Finally, it was time for the door prizes to be distributed. Names were announced, but not Husband's or mine. However!!........the "Face to Face - Summer" framed print I mentioned above was won by Pat, the woman sitting across from me at the table!! Oh, I was so happy for her! Click this link to go to the Bonnie Mohr website, and you will see "Face to Face - Summer" there on the opening page.



The sun is shining brightly here today! Blessings on your day!