A cow, a tutu and chocolate milk / 1000 Gifts and Inspiration

#141. Inspired by the absurd

Sometimes you have to look for inspiration. And at other times, it just hits you.

Knowing that this week was a holiday week and that I wanted to spend time with my family and friends, I decided to combine my three weekly posts (1000 Gifts list, Reflection and Inspiration) into one single post. My plan was to write something reflective and inspirational about my gratitude for the freedom we have in our country–something for the Fourth of July. I just had to get inspired….

My  modus operandi when I develop an idea for a post to my blog is to go about my daily routine running errands, doing domestic duties, working, being with my family and friends, etc. but keeping my eyes open and my camera handy. I am constantly on the prowl for the subject of my next piece and never quite know where I am going to find it.

This week was no different. Several things caught my attention and I had a few ideas brewing in my head. One particular event over the weekend was simply full of possibilities…but, alas, I promised the folks involved that it would not end up on my blog (at least not yet).

And then suddenly there it was: inspiration. As I sat at a seemingly endless stoplight I looked to my left and saw it. The Coburg Cow. In a tutu.

If you live in Charleston, SC or are familiar with this portion of Savannah Highway (Highway 17 South), you already know what I am talking about and you have probably seen this icon dressed in all manner of attire. For the rest of you, here is a summary. The Coburg Cow is a three-dimensional rotating sign featuring a cow and a bottle of milk (sometimes chocolate or egg nog) that is situated at St. Andrews Shopping Center on Savannah Highway in West Ashley. The sign was erected for the Coburg Dairy in 1959 and has become a landmark in this city of many landmarks.

I grabbed my camera and managed to get a few shots before the light turned green. Even though the tutu was wet from the days of rain we have had, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of the thing.

Later over lunch, my husband suggested that this just might be the inspiration I was looking for this week. We discussed the cow over nachos wondering how many people drove by her over the years? How long has she been wearing costumes? Was it a particular person’s job to dress her or did a team do this? And when? Had anyone ever seen her being costumed on the spot or did they come in the middle of the night? So many questions….Quite a bit of conversational mileage for a silly cow in a tutu.

Inspiration can come in many forms: in the beautiful, the heroic, the creative, the compassionate,…and sometimes in the absurd.