It's all in a Name

What's the most unusual birthday or anniversary gift you've ever gotten?



How about an 80th birthday gift of a solid black kitten? We called it 'inky' but some of our children would rather it had been called 'Impy' which was my mother's nickname for me 78 or so years ago. That's what the picture is all about. You'd think a nickname like that would fall by the wayside somewhere in history but no, some of our children tend to use it at the most inappropriate times - even today. And I agree with the children about the cat's nickname from time to time - it's a crazy cat that is up to all kinds of mischief.



With that all said and done, how many of you have had to contend with strange nicknames over the years? For instance, some whose name is James may be called Jimmy, or Jimbo.

Someone named George was in a Spanish class with me and it makes sense that he was called 'Guillermo'.



But why would someone be called 'Froggy"? Is it because he wore goggle-size glasses making him look as bug-eyed as a frog? Is it because be looked like 'Froggy" in the ancient Out Gang

comedies? Is it necause he was going through the change-of-voice time of life between being a boy-soprano and a seductive, mellow baritone? I never knew and guess I never will.



Then there the other nicknames like Brooklyn when the individual had never set foot in Brooklyn? How about 'Rip'? or 'Corky'? Or 'Poochie'?



Or Navy or Air Force pilot nicknames like 'Snake', or 'Catfish', or 'Texas' (who got his nickname telling far-fetched jokes like: "knock knock." "Texas." "Texas who?" "Texas to write a silly blog like this."



Then there is the old song by Johnny Cash about the man who had to live with the name Sue

that was laid on him from birth. How would you like to be called Sue all your life as a big, husky loudmouth redneck?



Oh, well - "sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me" After all, I don't really care what people call me so long as I'm never called late for dinner.