C2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 20,1981
Milk production
BY SALLY BAIR
Staff Correspondent
Most dairy farm families think
the dairy cow is pretty special.
Some urban people even find the
beauty of the gentle creature
appealing. But there are few
people anywhere who view the cow
with the affection displayed by
Jeanette Weaver, 530 Maple
Street, Cleona.
Jeanette’s love affair with the
dairy cow is only about four years
old, but it is very deep and has
taken a place of importance in her
life. Her husband of 10 months,
Randy, does not object however,
and even encourages her by buying
more and more cows. Jeanette
says, “My collection only
blossomed since 1 met Randy.”
Perhaps it is important to note
that her collection is not the barn
variety of cows which give milk
and eat lots of hay and gram. The
cows with which Jeanette has an
affair, are, m fact sometimes not
even recognizable as any of those
familiar six breeds of dairy cows.
Her cows come in all sizes, shapes,
and materials, but each of her
cows - or bulls - has a basic
resemblance to the dairy cow.
Jeanette counted her “herd”
before the interview and found
and form a small part of Jeanette Weaver’s collection
A close-up view of just one shelf in her multi- closely, there is ac<
tiered collection of dairy cows. If you look of figurines. - '
no problem
for this cow
about 120 cows of various sizes, but
then as she talked she remem
bered some in other rooms, so the
total is somewhat uncertain. What
is certain is that she cherishes the
humble cow and feels she’ll never
have enough of them.
It’s logical to assume that
Jeanette was raised on a dairy
farm; hence her deep mterest.
That may be logical, but it would
be erroneous. She was raised in
Meyerstown in Lebanon County
and her only connection to cows
was the fact that her grandfather
once had a few cows that he milked
by hand - but that was before she
was old enough to remember.
Nevertheless, she says, “I have
liked cows ever since I was little.
But my collection started four or
five years ago when a girl fnend
and I were visiting a friend. We
talked about cows, and about
Bessie the cow and Bop the bull. It
started out as a joke.” A joke it
may have been, but her girlfriend -
bought her her first cow and
Jeanette’s collection was begun.
Now everyone gives her cows - on
special occasions or just because
they feel like it.
She met her husband after she
began her collection, and be
worked part time in dairying, so
IS
fancier
she learned to milk cows so she
could help him work when
dairymen needed time off. About
milking she says, “That’s neat.
Each cow has its own personality.
We’d both like to get into dairying
but it is impossible. We’U have to
settle for a farmette..’ ’
Jean works in a sewing factory
and Randy drives a tractor trailer.
Because of her interest in her
collection, Jeanette has learned to
appreciate real dairy cows, and
she has found she can tell breeds
apart. She enjoys driving in the
country and seeing cows on
pasture.
Real cows have personalities,
and so do Jeanette’s inanimate
variety. Furthermore, she can
easily state who gave her each cow
or where she acquired it.
Her collection has been
assembled from many places, with
flea markets and novelty shops
leading the list. “A lot were just
picked up,” Jeanette states. Her
parents frequently go to toy shows
and sometimes find cows for her,
and she keeps her eyes open for
new cows wherever she may be.
Her cows include the usual
creamers and figurines, but also
stuffed cows - and bulls, place
mats, a license plate, a chalk
board, a bulletin board, salt and
pepper shakers, candles, squeak
toys, jewelry, cups and plates,
magnets for refrigerator doors,
plaques and a cookie jar. The
figurines are made of every kind of
material, including porcelain,
pewter, brass and wrought iron.
Jeanette admits to having her
favorites, with the all-time favorite
being a very lifelike head done in
scupltured porcelain. The cow is
named “Blossom.” She also has a
beauteous “Clementine” created
by R.J. Brown, and a Hey Diddle
Diddle re-creation by Sebastian.
Another favorite is a Goebbel
model Guernsey.
There is a wide variety but her
husband Randy says it is becoming
harder and harder to find new
cows which she does not have. “I
must be careful,” he states.
Her most distant cow came from
New York, with most of the
collection being found in the
neighboring counties. “All my
friends know I collect them, and at
ie jar and a
Jeanette Weaver proudly stands by her collection of cows,
which numbers over 120. Some never made it to the case,
however, and can be found in other parts of her home.
This yard ornament features a dairy cow and her milker
poised to do the job. A stiff breeze makes his arms pump as
though he were milking.
work they have become ac
customed to it. Friend ask ‘Where
do you put them all?’ I tell them
not to worry because I have plenty
of room. They don’t just stop in the
living room. They go everywhere,”
Jeanette explains.
Cows are such a part of her life,
the friend who started her on her
collection also took to calling her
“Hummy,” which for the
uninitiated is the name for a baby
calf. The name has stuck and it
used by other friends.
Randy, who is totally supportive
of Jeanette’s collection, even took
her to see a cow on their
honeymoon. It was an oversized
model cow he had seen in a
*iComes{ead
miniature golf course in Wilkes
Barre. The Weavers also received
a stuffed cow as a wedding
present, and it now proudly wears
Jeanette’s garter from the wed
ding. She has a pair of
“honeymooers” locked in em-
brace.
One of her more unusual cows is
a pregnant cow, which is a glass
cow inside of which is another
glass cow. On the Weavers’ back
lawn is an ornamental cow with a
man seated ready to milk her
When the wind blows, the man’s
arms begin to pull, in mutation of
the milking process.
(Turn to Page C 4)
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