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Monday, January 9, 2012

Name My House

This is my house:


One of my 2012 projects is to name my house. I first got the notion to name it several years ago when a friend moved to England and lived in a place named The Old Barn. When I sent letters to her, the name of her house was part of the address. The ingenuity of elevating the prestige of a barn by calling it The Old Barn struck me as incredibly clever. I want the same for my own dwelling.

Everywhere I look, homes have names. Fiddlers Green is a property about five miles from me. A pang of jealousy stabs my heart when I pass the sign. The house is a mid-century brick ranch, but the wonderful moniker makes it so much more.

In December I read The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart. All of the characters live in the various towers of London Tower. Their residences take on an air of importance simply because they can be referenced by something other than, "That's Balthazar and Hebe's house." [This is a must read, by the way. Highly entertaining and extremely well-written.]

Currently I'm reading The Little Friend by Donna Tartt [Also a great read, particularly if you like southern lit.]. The family's old Mississippi estate was named Tribulation. It calls to something deep within me. I want that same emotion for my ancestors when they tell a lot of lies about me and my house.

But coming up with an appropriate name for 217 Lee Street has proven difficult. If I'm going to put it on a sign and hang it on my house and tag it as a check-in location on FaceBook and include it in my address, it can't come across as frivolous or trite. I don't want a cliche. I need to avoid arrogance. And by all means I will not acquiesce to the lack of creativity in something like the McNeal-Howell-Adams House. Blehk.

Thus I'm on a quest for a list of guidelines for naming a piece of property. What are the rules? Does your house have a name? How did it get that name?

Help!

10 comments:

Darlene said...

I love the idea of naming your house. I don't know what the rules are, but I would say the name has to be about your personality or how you feel about your home. I am currently in the process of trying to buy a house. Hubby and I have decided to name it. Even though it is not officially ours, we have named it "Bliss Field". Good luck with a finding your name.

Darlene said...

P.S. Your house is beautiful!

P.J. Blount said...

Oh, Lucy, so many options:

Chiroptera Hall
Chicken Foot Estate
Burning Grill Manor
Shrieking Lawn
Squirrel Haven
The Playroom
Adams Delight
Coyote's Rest

I could do this all day, but I have to work.

Millerwrites said...

How about "Tucked Skirts Run"? There could be an apostrophe stuck in there somewhere, but works better without.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the ideas y'all. Coyote's Rest has hints and undertones that I lke. I can't name it The Playroom - Hefner doesn't live here, nor do any bunnies.

Heather i MN said...

I think she should have "Elinore" in her title.

La La said...

How about "Whirlwind". That's how I envision your house with all of you running around grabbing baseball mitts, cleats, riding gear, uniforms, etc. and dashing out the door to get to various events that are all going on at the same time!

Crystal Pistol said...

Tribulation IS a lovely name for a house. We all have them. Your ancestors wouldn't necessarily be lying.

Your house is beautiful. So much character! She truly DOES need a name... Or is she a he? You should find out the sex before naming...

E.D. said...

Nice house! I think it does call for a classic, somewhat old fashioned name. Perhaps something with Manor or Hall?

William Kendall said...

Beautiful house, Lucy!