September - my favorite month!! - September 5th, 2008 · 3 days ago
The start of the most beautiful season of the year, crisp leaves, cool nights, sweatshirts, bonfires, and pumpkin spice coffee!
AROUND THE STUDIO,... We did it – we marathoned 12 days of the MN State Fair!! Our new double booth this year was 
wonderful. It was open and spacious, making for a better shopping and viewing atmosphere for everyone. THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by to visit, purchase or just say HI! It was just great fun to see everyone, and we look forward to returning next year. Bonnie Mohr Studio was honored to win the Outstanding Booth Exhibitor Award of the Warner Coliseum while at the Fair – hats off to Diane, Lana, Steven, John and Steve who set the booth up this year!! We are now prepping for World Dairy Expo, Madison-WI, September 30 – October 4th! This will be our 22 year as an exhibitor at this fabulous all-out, cow extravaganza! We hope you are making plans now to visit us there!!
COW TALES AND FARM NEWS,... New babies arriving daily. This is big calving season around the farm – we welcome all the new calves arriving daily at Glenmark Genetics. The cooler temps have made everyone in the barn happy!! With the 2 1/2 inches of rain we received last week, things have greened up once more, and 4th crop hay is looking to be great. John sold two Holstein Breeding bulls off the farm yesterday, and we will travel to St. Cloud to deliver two more today! He is starting to think about chopping corn – maybe in a week or two.
FAMILY MATTERS,... The annual conclusion of summer for our family is the MN State Fair. All three girls won trips and showed this year – all had a ball and did very well. Its official – school is back in session! All five kids seem to have settled back into their new structured schedule. Our oldest, Amanda is now a Senior! Hard to believe the years have flown by. Katelyn is a sophomore, Taylor in 8th grade, Jacob in 4th and our baby Zachary is now a 1st grader. First time in 18 years, I’m ‘home alone’. 
Its a bittersweet feeling, but I am excited about more painting time in the studio!! We are shifting gears to get back into a routine supper and homework schedule, orchestrated around the after school sports and activities. There are those days you wonder – how you will get through it all,... one step at a time, enjoying each moment!
Enjoy, enjoy these last days of summer,...
Thanks for reading!
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It's State Fair time!,... August 28th,2008 · 9 days ago
Oh where or where has my Bonnie Blog gone,... Oh where or where could it be!!!! Hi Everyone – Im finally back,... it’s not that I have forgotten about the blog, it’s just that life peaks out on the ‘craziness scale’ this time of the year.
AROUND THE STUDIO,... I’ve been busy chasing to and from the “color house” and “printer” in the cities, and since my last blog have gone on press with some new cards, as well as reprinting some ‘sold-out’ ones. You will be happy to know we are fully re-stocked in the Christmas Card Department – so anytime you are ready – we are here to fill your orders!! We did reprint several of our most popular cards that sold out early last year. Plus – there are 8 brand new card selections – I know you will love them. They printed beautifully, we are all excited to have new inventory in. And of course, this time of year means exhibiting at the MN State Fair! We have had the opportunity to expand into a double space, same location, in the coliseum, which means a lot more space to show artwork! It is a delightful change from the past 7 years, which was tight quarters and just not much room to display all the art. We are having a wonderful show. I have been working the booth, all but two days. Tomorrow, I will get some pictures for next weeks blog – stay tuned!! Please stop in and visit if you are attending the fair, and get the free calender we are handing out!
COW TALES AND FARM NEWS,... John has been busy helping us with the Bonnie Mohr Studio State Fair booth, and the kids with showing cattle, but in between he did make 3rd crop hay. Didn’t amount to much as the rain has been scant. Things have just changed in the last 24 hours though, we have been blessed with 2 1/2 inches of rain – we are thankful – everything was getting 
pretty brown. Needless to say, there will probably be farmers starting to chop corn silage this week, as dry as it has been.
FAMILY MATTERS,... this category is certainly the most ‘newsy’ 
of the three. Early to mid-August was prep time for country fair. We’ve learned that the easiest way to train cattle to lead is just tie them onto a hay rack, and slowly circle the yard until they are ‘walking real nice’. Someone drives and the others sit on the rack, and pretend to be doing the leading. This technique has saved us from countless skinned knees and bad rodeo events with training cattle to lead.
The kids all had a BALL at the county fair, and all three girls won a trip to the State Fair with their dairy animals. They had a great time at State Fair and placed well. Both 
Amanda and Taylor were Reserve Showman in the showmanship contest, in the Sr. and Beginner divisions. And what would summer be without SWEET CORN!! On Monday (my rest day away from the State Fair) the kids helped me freeze 21 dozen sweet corn – YUM! And finally – after years of practicing in the front yard – Jacob got to suit up in his first Football uniform!! THIS IS BIG, BIG, BIG! 
He will get to play with the Silver Lake Lions. I think he thinks he is qualified to play every single position,.... the boy eats, sleeps and dreams football. What fun to watch these little guys get out there and charge with such a gigantic level of energy and passion! This is going to be fun!!!
Ok – That’s it for now,... hang in there everyone – soon I will have some new paintings to show you!! I PROMISE!!
Thanks for reading,
Bonnie
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Pola-Czesky Days!! - August 6th, 2008 · 32 days ago
AROUND THE STUDIO,... So I must come clean,... even though I promised a new painting by the next blog, I have been unsuccessful to complete the next one yet!! No excuses,... just too much family activity going on. This is when one must be flexible and just enjoy what God put’s into our paths each day, and try not to fret too much about the paintings that aren’t getting completed. 
I know all things will come in good time. Stay posted. We were happy to entertain another group of Red Hat Ladies last week in the Studio, thanks for stopping by – what a fun bunch!!
COW TALES AND FARM NEWS,... third crop hay is being chopped as I write this. We won’t have much tonnage though,... it has been dry, very dry. The cows don’t like such hot weather either, the bulk tank stick shows it!! But then, we can’t complain – some farmers have been hailed out, drown out or are dryer than we are. So, we keep the faith that 
things will turn out ok.
FAMILY MATTERS,... lots to report in this department. We spent the entire weekend celebrating our famous Silver Lake Pola-Czesky days! What fun!! Small town celebrations are the best, and it’s a chance for the community to come together and share good times. Our oldest daughter Amanda wrapped up her reign as Princess, we are pictured here with her at the Saturday night Queen’s Ball. It was a perfect 75 degree evening with a sky full of stars and fireworks at 10pm too! Jacob and Zachary both did well in the Pedal Pull, 
no trophies but they had fun trying. Also pictured here are Heather, Sara and Amanda, on Sunday, their last day of the official reigning court of Silver Lake Pola-czesky Royalty – a job well done girls – we are all so proud of you. And folks, no where but Silver Lake, MN during our famous Pola-czesky Days can you see a finer competition of TOILET BOWL RACING! I am the proud wife of the CHAMPION Toilet Bowl racer John Mohr and his partner (and engineer of this fine machine I might add) Steve Dennison! Great job fellas! Katelyn is busy getting the show box in order for the fair next week, and is wrapping up her job at the sheep farm to make time for the fairs coming up. Taylor will arrive back home today, after her week at gymnastics camp.
Thank you for all the visitors that have stopped by the studio!!
We hope to see many of you at the
MN State Fair, August 21-September 1st.
Thanks for reading, have a wonderful summer day!
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The new sidewalk,... July 21st, 2008 · 47 days ago
AROUND THE STUDIO,... I promise, promise, promise to have a new painting to show you next week. The delay and anticipation of new work – awaiting completion and yet to be created, is making me crazy! But – when duty calls, I beckon! Me and my tired little mini-van just keeps chasing up and down the road to baseball games, gymnastics, Dr. appointments, and whatever else is penciled on the calender each day. Every summer I begin with a long list of the many paintings I hope to complete, and by this time each year, I seem to be failing my self-scheduled-schedule! I am committed though, and know that just as soon as possible I will get some new paintings completed!
COW TALES AND FARM NEWS,... there is never a busier time on the farm than summer. Second crop hay is finished, the road ditches are being baled, 
the wheat harvest will probably begin this week, the cows are busy swatting a record fly crop and struggling to maintain high milk production, the first new crop potatoes were enjoyed at our dinner table last night, the corn is tasseling this week, and thankfully – we have been getting just enough rain to keep things fairly green!
FAMILY MATTERS,... work is just about complete on the front sidewalk of our house. The team was John, myself, and our two friends Cory and Scott!! We leveled and laid a Pennsylvania Blue 
Flagstone walk in the center and lined the outside with soldier course pavers. It is beautiful and we will continue to work through the summer on the remaining landscaping to be done. We were also the host sight of the July 4-H Meeting this past Monday. It is the annual project night, when all 4-Her’s bring one project to ‘show and tell’ about, which will be 
going to the County Fair. The evening wrapped up with a bonfire and hot dog roast!
Thanks for reading – I wish each of you a continued safe and fun summer!
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picking strawberries,... July 9th, 2008 · 61 days ago
IN THE STUDIO,... In all honesty, I just haven’t been in the studio enough this past week to complete the next new painting. Perhaps I should be more discreet about it, but I’ve always believe that honesty is the best policy, thus – nothing new to show today!! We have some interesting things going on though and will have some fun news to share in the next few weeks! We’re also busy with inventorying and starting to 
get ready for the MN State Fair – can’t believe how fast this summer is going!!
COW TALES AND FARM NEWS,... Pictured today is one of our landscaping projects that we’ve been working on. We’ve finished this area, other than we’re waiting on the new farm/studio sign to arrive and it will be hung between the two stone columns. Next item on the agenda is the patio in the back yard. We hope to get to it this weekend! It’s getting dry here in MN, although the crops look remarkable. John will start cutting second crop hay today or tomorrow. 
The kids are starting to work with the cows and are thinking about county fair,... only 1 month away! And what would summer be without strawberries!! We arrived early last Saturday morning to Kathleen’s Garden and picked strawberries for a couple of hours!! They were delicious and we even froze a few.
FAMILY MATTERS,... there are certain everyday basics that we adhere to around our house,... like everyone helps clear the table (or counter) after meals, everyone helps with chores- indoor and out, hang up your towels, coats, etc., etc. In the 25 years that we have been married, we’ve also become fixed on the Sunday morning church hour as a family unit. I want to share this with you, because it is such a good thing. There are so many reasons why people don’t get to church on Sunday morning, and I would say, that if so inclined, these reasons could get in everyone’s way if allowed, including ours,... too busy, too tired, too hot, too cold, too sleepy, have to work, etc., etc. To date, I have not come up with a more reliable act, or refreshing lift for our family than spending an hour together in church on Sunday morning. No matter how frenzied and weary I am upon scurrying all the children into the van, and heading down the road to mass, there is an irresistible feeling of love and comfort as we travel together as a family to church. The business of unloading and getting into church and then choosing where to sit , all melt into a quiet calm as we get settled into the pew and begin mass. As we sing, and worship and share the sign of peace with each other, there are glimpses of smiles shared amongst each other and an unspoken presence of family bonding, and most importantly the spiritual renewal that only God can give you to face another big week! We leave church, visiting with friends, shaking Fr. Brian’s hand as we go out the door, and reload into the van to head back home. This time is one of the most precious gifts a family can share!
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