A Memorable Object

Vintage German Cow Bell now hanging on our Dining Room

I am fresh off the plane from the Midwest and pretty beat. It has been a long couple of days and I am already dreading the pile of work that awaits me. But first I had to hang something up.

I come from a family of farmers (at least on my father’s side); to be more specific, Iowa dairy farmers. I was actually born in NJ and my Midwestern relatives like to make fun of my “NJ” accent (which I like to think has more to do with my fast talking style then my actual accent). However I spent almost every Christmas in the Midwest and have fond memories of watching my grandparents, uncles and aunts milking their herd of Brown Swiss cows. We would stay at the old farmhouse and every morning my grandfather would scoop the cream off the top of the fresh unpasteurized milk to put on his cereal. His well worn hands taking a break from the morning chores.

So when I think of what objects would remind me of my grandparents, I always think of cows. I have put in a request for a Brown Swiss statue or pitcher to add to our Dining Room  animal menagerie, but I did bring one thing back with me. When I was 12 we went of a family trip to Europe. While we were there we visited the Black Forrest region in Germany. We picked up a vintage cow bell to bring back for my Grandparents.  For years it hung in their kitchen.  So it is with pride that I hung it up in our Dining Room (just above my cow bell).

My brother and me on the farm with my Dad and Grandpa

My Mom just scanned this old photo for me. No instagram filters needed!