Names...

Naming an animal is hard.  You hope to capture the essence of that animal, but you don't really know it's personality until living with it for a while.  Even after the naming is done, sometimes it's not a great fit. 

Take Lola for example. 
Her true name is Lola Angel. 
She is no angel. 
She doesn't even really look like a Lola. 
Oh well. 

Our cats have good names I think. 
Don Diego and Kit Cat are unique and fun. 
Tiger had his name when we got him and while we
did try once to switch him over to Tony Tiger, it never stuck. 
So, he's Tiger.
Boring.      

Our new kittens are Jumper, Firecracker, Popper Popcorn and Cali.  All named by a six year old.  So far, they are living up to their monikers. 

Naming kids is really, really hard.  You are giving a human being their identity. 
People will look at that person and judge them by their name. 
Forever.  

There are so many Jennifers in the world it gets rather annoying.  Thanks mom and Dad. 

We tried to be original with our first born.  We searched and scrutinized and decided on Zoe Skye, with Zoe meaning "life" in Greek, and Skye was our homage to nature. 
There are a few more Zoes in the world than we would like, but thankfully she's the cutest! 

Gigi Willow was supposed to be Oliver Ash.  Since she's been a trickster since being inutero, she forced us to think on our toes and we went with a name that means "small and spunky" in French.  Her middle name of Willow is another homage to nature.

So far, these two girls are very representative of their names. 
We did good.

The goats are coming soon.  What beholds them is yet to be known... 

           
The Naming of Cats

The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,

It isn't just one of your holiday games;

You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter

When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.

First of all, there's the name that the family use daily,

Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,

Such as Victor or Jonathan, or George or Bill Bailey -

All of them sensible everyday names.

There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,

Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:

Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter -

But all of them sensible everyday names.

But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,

A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,

Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,

Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?

Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,

Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,

Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum -

Names that never belong to more than one cat.

But above and beyond there's still one name left over,

And that is the name that you never will guess;

The name that no human research can discover -

But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.

When you notice a cat in profound meditation,

The reason, I tell you, is always the same:

His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation

Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:

His ineffable effable

Effanineffable

Deep and inscrutable singular Name.

T S Elliot



Firecracker and Jumper
Cali and Popcorn