The finished beeswax ingots.
Unfinished ingots in the mold.
A story.So I was up late the night before last, watching movies. Lars And The Real Girl to be more specific. I've been trolling for sappy movies to watch in my hormone enhanced state because I can get such a good cry out of the littlest things. It's like 3-D for my nostalgia bones or something. Plus I couldn't really sleep anyway. Cute movie by the way.
So I'm wide awake in bed next to sleeping Mark, 12:30am, and there's a rapid fire knock at our back/front door. Yikes!
It was so urgent. I immediately thought of some recent family drama that could possibly be at the door, but quickly dismissed the idea.
I woke Mark. Eventually.
Someone just knocked on our door! No response.
Hon, someone just knocked on our door! Blank stare. (making progress.)
Someone just knocked on our door! (I know this routine.) snuffle snuffle Are you sure?
Yes, positive. I'm wide awake. Times ticking away.
Mark not so suddenly springs to life. Digs out his pistol. (I know, exciting, right? But we live right on a busy state route. So.) Pulls on pants. And runs outside.
I grab my car keys and hit the panic button to turn on the alarm. I can barely see Mark and don't know what's going on.
What went on was, Mark found 2 punks sitting in their out of gas car in our lot. Why they knocked and left, I don't know. But when they saw the not-so-small man with no shirt, old school tattoos, madman hair, and a pistol at his side, they threw their hands in the air.
We're out of gas! We're out of gas!
So Mark walked them out to the barn to the gas can (he said he wasn't fetching and carrying it for them after all that,) and watched as the tall skinny one shook in his boots as he tried to put gas in his tank. He told them to make sure they had enough to get to the station in town. And that was about it.
I said that I think they'll probably pay a little more attention to their gas gauge from now on.
And finally, Baby Names.
The discussion started almost immediately.
"Samuel Joseph" is all original. No namesakes, that is. Other than the bible characters, I suppose. Samuel's mother gave him to God. I always had mixed emotions about that. What mother gives away her child? Oh, the thinks that I think...But it all worked out in the end, and I still think it's a beauty of a name.
"Agnes Cornelia" shares a middle name with my grandmother. And Agnes means pure, but I always think of Agnus, Latin for lamb. She is my sweet, gentle lamb.
"Lily Fae" shares a middle name with Mark's grandmother. She prefers I call her Lil-ah as a pet name. Not Lie-lah. Not Lily. Not Lillith. Not Lillian. But Lila. And sometimes I do even though a few years ago she hated to be called Lila. And a few years ago she also wanted to change her name to Diamond.
So now we have this blank slate. Pitching boy names and girl names because we don't know what we're gonna get. We all have our two cents, kids included.
Sometimes we suggest a real name, sometimes something off the wall or made up.
One of us will throw something out to the group and then there's the rebuttal.
That makes me think of a fat guy.
Sounds like a gruff, middle aged woman with a heart of gold. Possibly running her own greasy spoon restaurant.
That's so-n-so's dog's name.
I've got a boy name in mind. First name only. But is it weird that I'm afraid to announce it? Like I'm going to spoil it somehow? Or I guess maybe I don't want to be talked out of it. If I wait until the birth certificate is filled out, there's no turning back, and no one can talk me out of it. Right?
Ya, that's a little crazy.
OK, I'll tell you.
It's Rooster.
I'm kidding!
And I'm open to suggestions. Did you have a formula for picking your child's name? How do you feel about Juniors? Old fashioned names? Popular names?
And who doesn't love homemade names? (But not in this deli!)
So far the ground rules I've put together:
No nouns
No cities, states, or countries
What say you?
16 comments:
Okay, I'm going to give you gold:
John Mark Bedillion
Thomas Hitchcock Bedillion
Susan Millicent Bedillion (milly)
Lara Josephine Bedillion
Mary Brown Bedillion (brownie)
I really like to name people.
Instead of a pistol, we keep a sword under the bed. I swear to God. It was a prop from a play. We're such actors. Anyway, even though it's a prop, it could probably do some serious damage if you wielded it hard enough.
Becky, Milly Bedillion is amazing.
I love names too. But then when Jude came along, he kind of named himself. Actually, it's a good story. Next time you're rooting around my archives, check out my first ever blog post, it tells all about it.
I've always loved my grandmother's name: Emma Nelena. Grandpap called her Nellie.
I'll contribute more after I've had some coffee. Right now my brain is overloaded simply with the pregnancy news. Get busy for a few days, miss one lousy blog, and all heck breaks loose.
Okay, some more of my favorite names.
For a girl:
Merryn (rhymes with Karen)
Katelyn (nickname Kate)
Daelyn (pronounced Day-lyn)
I did not intend on them all ending in "yn." Wonder what that says about me.
For a boy:
Joshua
Jacob
Hunter
Shane
Becky, you are a master. They even look pretty typed out, don't they?
We've discussed Mark as a middle name, Thomas as a first. Milly! Hadn't thought of that. Josephine, as a nod to her big brother, perhaps. I feel like Brown is somewhere in that dusty file in brain, too.
Love it. I shall always welcome your wise suggestions!
Gretchen- No way!! The story of Jude's name is *the* best. Wow. I totally dig that kind of stuff.
The sword is a nice touch. I have so many questions about it now.
身材維持- nice to know you, too.
Annette- Emma and Nellie are both pretty names. As for the "yn" maybe it's bc we live in "yinzer" country?
Gretchen, I just read your Jude story, too. LOVE it!
I like Levon as a name, too.
And Logan.
Oh, the list could go on and on.
Sara,
Your comment to: 身材維持- nice to know you, too
cracked me up!!
I am no good with suggesting names. But I do recall that I LOVED name books back in the day. Of course it has been almost 10 years now (I'm biting on my hand and blinking tears) but I really liked the book called, "Beyond Jennifer and Jason and Madison and Montana". These writers put together names into categories such as "Irish Names", and "Irish Rogues Who Won't Call You Back But You Wish They Would". (hint for my boys' names) and other categories such as "If you Like the popular name "whatever" try Oliver.
Anyway, it was loads of fun with sections on old fashioned names that are New Again, and "Names that are so popular they are Out".
I do get you on the feeling of keeping a name to yourself.
Those beeswax rectangles look so smooth like buttah!
I'm having a good quality snicker at the Diamond comment.
I'm fairly sure any offspring we finally decide to have are doomed. My husband and I recently had a conversation in which we came to the conclusion that Grover for a girl would not be that bad.
It is that bad.
...Unless you are planning on Grover, in which case it is beautiful, and destined to produce a really interesting person.
Before Seamus was born, my husband kept suggesting "Proinsias" which is pronounced Prun-chee-ss and is the Irish form of Frank or Francis. He suggested it so much that Seamus started sounding pretty average--come to think of it, maybe that was his plan all along! :)
We have a baseball bat, which the man of this house wields with far more authority than he would a firearm, I'm quite sure.
My dos pesos on names is Never Tell Anyone (that you don't have to) the names you are thinking of. Because too many people feel utterly at ease telling you that they don't LIKE that name, for X, Y, Z inane reason.
But almost no one will have the bad manners to say anything once the name is actually attached to a living being.
(My mother did, but that's a whole 'nother blog post I haven't written yet.)
And if I were to have another child, I would be contacting Becky for suggestions!! And finding that book Michele R mentions.
Mark is a better man than I, or, at least a quicker thinker. I would have been all about getting the punk the hell off my place...but then, they are out of gas, so yeah, get enough to get well and gone. Good on him. (I've been the bat route, in my younger years. Now it's a small frame .45 auto.)
As for names, I offer three guidelines:
1. The name should have some precedent in human history prior to the birth of the named child.
2. The parents' egos shouldn't place too great a burden on the child (that is, don't get too dang cute).
3. Go to the back door and shout the name to the world three times before you decide.
Finally, Becky's suggestions would meet all of my standards.
Michele R., that book sound like a blast. You've seen those websites about bad baby names haven't you? They make me laugh til I cry.
Curiosity, now that nearly made me laugh til I cried. No offense to all the Grovers (male or female) out there, of course. He is a favorite Muppet of mine.
Veronica, I have long admired the name Seamus. "Proinsias" I would love to hear properly pronounced instead of the hack job I'm doing in my head. That 'r' gets rolled a bit somehow, doesn't it?
Amy, who knew that there were so many different bedside weapons? ha! And that's the same rationale I had about keeping the name a secret til it's irreversible. I'm a little itchy to hear how that didn't stop your mom...
Camp Papa, so maybe not Cletus or Buck. I'm so stuck on the 'shout 3 times to the world' rule. Because it's a good one! My mind is awhirl with all the worst choices. Kind of like 'don't think of an elephant.' And then there's your elephant. Or your Crystal Rayne or Summer Icye or Sledge Hammer or Pale Ryder or Seymour Butts.
I didn't make up the "shout it out the back door" rule, but I think it is a test of whether a name that sounds good in your head, or even in your house, plays well when exclaimed with some passion in the wider world.
As a former elementary school principal, I've seen far too many children laboring under a name that was a reflection of parental pathology and self-indulgence. Some of those mommas and daddies ought to be charged with child abuse.
Great story about the punks! I love your husband's response. Good for him.
I don't think I should recommend baby names at this point. I mean, I named mine James and Jesse. Not real original. But can't wait to hear what you decide.
Love the beeswax. What do you do with it?
Please have a blog giveaway and give away some Beeswax!!!
I just do what the Matron tells me.
A giveaway it shall be.
And it involves naming something!
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