Happy Moo-Day

As usual, I forgot to check for today's holidays, and missed that today was Cow Appreciation Day. I should have observed and celebrated the day, because cows have played a significant role in my life. For instance:

*I grew up on a dairy farm. My father milked cows twice a day. Our milk came straight from the barn and the milk was pasteurized in our counter top pasteurizer, but it still had clumps of cream on the top (misery when you tried to mix it with Hershey's chocolate milk mix). I didn't mess with the milking part (we did have automatic milkers), but I did have a brief stint putting out the feed for the cows. I managed to avoid the poop-scooping detail; however, forty years later, I can still smell the aroma of spoiled milk mixed with the odor of manure. Did I mention I don't particularly like milk?

*We also grew our own beef cows, which meant we usually had a freezer full of cuts of beef. When I was living in Florida with my young family, we would take coolers back full of meat. Thank goodness for hamburger helper!

*I was crowned Dairy Princess when I was five. That was the extent of my pageant career, especially when I had to pet a calf for a photo op. I think I decided if petting a cow was the extent of my royal obligations, I would pass on the adventure.

*We had Jersey cows, but another farm family had Guernsey cows. The girls in that family showed cows in country fairs. I also managed to slip by that golden opportunity, but my brother had a show cow named Signal Susannah Star. What can I say - she was an important family member.

Cows provided a livelihood for my parents until it no longer was financially feasible. The barn slowly fell apart, until only the walls were left standing. The only thing left are the memories of what was, and there are plenty of those. Memories of the people who helped my father milk, memories of the entire family down at the barn when there wasn't much help around, memories of sacks of feed in the feed room, memories of watching the milk being stirred in the giant cooler, and memories of the huge milk truck coming by to get the milk and take it to the plant. Memories of a life that was, and a childhood that was special. Memories all because of cows.

So, Happy Cow Appreciation Day. And to all those cows - thanks for the memories.