A Rose by Any Other Name....

The female half of the MC says that I have to name everything. Well, not quite. Just because I named her house "Dumpling", and my car is "Beast" (though the license plate claims it is "Janz Lmo" -- hey, it is a used '97 Lincoln Town car bought off the parking lot of the funeral home which (comfortably) holds 6 in the car and 4 in the trunk!), Bob's car is "Madame Blueberry" -- what does she mean, I have to name everything??

Just because I morphed Torrey's name into Tobi (Tor-rey B.....To--bee....Tobi), and Christopher is The Beamer (see the July 22 blog), and Bob is Bobbert, and Timothy grew up as Timo, while Jill was either Jill-o-wee or Jilly Bean...what does she mean?

A few years ago when my mother was taking her final steps heavenward, my two sisters were helping to care for her. One day, Rosie was feeling especially grumpy which led her to declare herself a toad. Whereupon Lyn became Frog -- and they dubbed me Mole -- albeit a Very Clean Mole. Of course, the names took on a life of their own -- poor Lyn owns more frog things than she ever desired and I can't even look at frog paraphenalia in a catalog without thinking of her -- last year's Christmas gift was a retro cookie jar as....a frog. Rosie has been a bit harder to gift. A couple of years ago I sent her one bottle of Black Toad Ale which I found at Trader Joe's. Since Rosie and beer are not intimately acquainted, the bottle remains unopened in a place of honor (?) in her kitchen. Last Christmas I found some Toad Sweat hot sauce in the Outer Banks. Have no clue as to how it tastes -- and I don't think she does either. I have been able to find a couple of ornaments that were appropriately toadish however.

They have had a bit more difficulty finding things Mole. BUT!! A few Christmases ago I received a photograph from Rosie & Rob of a white, 1960 Cadillac convertible with -- you guessed it -- a mole (dead) as driver. Reuben loaned his model Cadillac, Rosie found the dead mole, and Rob hunkered down to get the picture. It is one of my all time favorite gifts.

Steph, The Beamer's sister, recently had a darling baby girl and named her Molly.

Because, The Beamer told me, his father used to call his mother -- are you ready for this --

Molly the Mole.

I didn't believe it either.

I mean, what are the odds?

So there you have it. Judy and Jan -- (Very Clean) Mole Mothers.