One of Jenna's amusing quirks (among many) was the cow collection. Yes, Jenna collected COWS. Mooooo. Big ones, small ones, three-dimensional or flat. If it had a cow on it, Jenna collected it. Apparently this cow obsession started because of her origins as a city kid from Brooklyn, NY--she'd never even seen a real cow until she was in her late teens. The cow collection had become a figure of legend around the SF fandom and pro-dom circuits, and took up quite a bit of space in her office at Tor.

I'd found this adorable little Limoges-style enamel box in the shape of a cow curled up comfortably in a meadow. She has this serene, happy look on her face. I'd bought it for Jenna as a little thank-you for all the help she'd given me in my job search the past couple of months.

The Friday before Jenna was hospitalized, she and I were supposed to have lunch. Unfortunately, she was so swamped with work that she begged off, but we rescheduled for the following week. I'd planned on giving her the little cow box then.

When I first visited the hospital on Tuesday, March 6, I brought the little cow with me. I showed it to her, put it in her hand, talked with her, and promised her I'd take good care of that little cow until she woke up. I didn't want to leave it in the ICU for fear it would be in the nurses' way or get broken somehow. But I carried it with me every day that week, and now it's sitting on my dresser at home.

One night that week as I was leaving my office, I passed the Hallmark store in the Rockefeller Center concourse and nearly burst into tears. They had a display in the window of the "Cows on Parade" figures. Dammit, I can't see a cow without thinking of Jenna. That was the case before all this happened--when I have a friend who collects something, I tend to think of that friend when I see that particular type of something (Esther Friesner and her hamsters immediately spring to mind). But it's more poignant now...

Damn cows. :-)


Jean Elizabeth Krevor