I love cows. I have always loved cows.

My Grandfather Baker had a dairy farm in a small town in Missouri, where I lived as a young child.

I loved playing with the calves, at least most of the time, until they grew big enough to do me physical harm. At that point my Granddad would make me get out of the cow pasture.

Cows are by nature gentle creatures with soulful eyes. At least that is how I see them.

My dream would be to live on a small farm next to a field of cows. I don’t want to take care of them. I just want to look at them and pet them over the fence. They fill me with a strong sense of peace.

I also used to go to the barn and watch the milking process. The cows didn’t always seem so peaceful then as they were locked to the stanchions. Back then milking was done by hand, not by machines. It was a real trick to be able to balance on a one legged milking stool. You could sway out of the way if the cow decided to kick and move, which they frequently did. Quite often they would swish their tails across your face. At a young age I managed to master the art of milking, but have not done so since age 8.

So why am I going on about cows this day and age?

As I looked at the drawing of the first place winner of the Decatur County Farm Bureau art contest, I saw a beautiful drawing of the face of a cow. It had gentle eyes and wore a crown adorned with peaches and cotton—all symbols of Decatur County Georgia agriculture.

It was the inspiration of BHS senior Elizabeth Kirkland, always a multi-winner in the school arts contests. All of her artwork is worthy of the prizes she has received; but this one was special to me, and apparently to the judges as well.

Somehow she had managed to capture the heart and soul of the cow. Perhaps she loves them as I do.

At any rate, her drawing got my memory juices flowing and I just had to chronicle my thoughts on paper.