My cow collection started with a chance remark and a whimsical postcard from my friend Micheline, who was the birth mother to the whole concept. I don't approve of collecting anything, and although my favorite items are often the most expensive, I particularly don't approve of collecting expensive items. Go figure!

I could wax poetic about the memories stored in each item - memories of the giver, of a funny story surrounding the gift, of its uniqueness. But this has been done to death. the truth is that I live in a tiny, tiny house in which FAR too much space is taken up by cows - none of them, for the moment at least, living specimens.

I HAVE had fun, though, collecting cows on the web. Here are a few of my favorites for anyone who needs a cow image to send in an e-mail.