What’s in a Name?


It’s become clear to me that any self-respecting property larger than a postage stamp has to have a name. The internet is full of people who had the imagination and foresight to call their residence something more than “random number assigned by government body on County Road 422.” Just a few of the lyrical pretties I’ve stumbled upon: “Spring Thyme Farm,” “High Hopes Farm,” and “High Winds Ranch.”

I have long wanted to name our own meager acreage but have been stumped by the sense that we have exactly 12 acres and no livestock save a few goats, dogs, and some (human) kids. I fear being “all hat, no cattle” as they say about pretentious urban farm types.

Always willing to throw someone ELSE under the bus, I figured that Mr. Wonderful did grow up on a farm and thus he has the street cred (field cred?) to name a place if he wants.

What he wants, of course, is to be left alone.

I say “Honey we should name our house!”
 
He says “it has a name, I call it “home.”

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My top choices are "Muddy Lane" or "Long Lane" (our home sits down what natives to the region call a long dirt "lane" (that would be driveway to you and I).

I’m leaning toward the latter because every single native type person has said the same thing when I explain where we live. I give lots of really great directions such as “it’s kind of far past the red barn but not the BIG red barn, the smaller one, and the kind of blue-green house that needs painted. It’s on the right. Except if you are coming from the other direction, then it’s on the left.”  I can’t imagine why they don’t find us.

Invariably they finally track us down, probably losing a portion of their vehicle's undercarriage along the way,  to say, exasperated, “Why didn’t you just SAY you live down the long lane?


So now, just in the space of this blog post, I think I’m simply going to replace “I do?” with “I do!”

“Long Lane.” It’s pretty right? Not too pretentious since it's true?

Granted, Long Lane can be both a lovely visual image, or a good name for an insane asylum.

Either way, we're good.

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I'm linking this up on Farm Friend's Friday in hopes some savvy rural types can lend me a hand - or at the very least stop me from making a fool of myself down at the feed store ... 

9 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

Hi there! Nice to meet you and the other residents at Long Lane! We here at Run*A*Round Ranch are pleased to make your aquaintence! :)

You are my 200th follower!!! Thank you for finding my blog and leaving a comment! I look forward to following you too!

Verde Farm said...

Hello to the fine folks of Long Lane :) I think that’s a great name and I love your house-so pretty. Thank you for visiting Verde Farm and Farm Friend Friday. I have held contest on my blog to get others ideas on names and it was so fun and amazing the creativity. Might want to do that for fun :)
Looking forward to blogging with you!
Amy :)

TexWisGirl said...

crap. i meant to spell acquaintence... i knew that looked wrong... :)

Kymberly Foster Seabolt said...

@Texwisgirl, don't sweat it, if I had a nickel for every time I misspelled "occurrence" AND "acquaintance" I could buy TEN farms.

Laura @ Our Wee Farm said...

"Long Lane" I like it! It's lovely. And don't worry the mud will dry. Two winters ago we couldn't leave our house without wellington boots on. When that got too bad we laid planks down on the grass - oops I mean mud - so we could actually get to the car!
xxx

Teresa said...

What a great name for your place--descriptive and creative!

farmer said...

I had quite a time trying to name our farm,I wanted Wild Blue farm,it reminded me of the Dixie chicks song cowboy take me away,but I couldn't use it, it was to close to all the wild blueberry farms here.
I made a list of things that described our farm and came up with Hidden Meadow,we have a huge meadow but no one would ever know it was there. I still think about one other name I liked,Honey Creek...just something about it..
I like Long Lane, it suits your picture.
Thanks for finding my blog,HMF.

Kelsie from Our Country Home and Studio Photography said...

I love how your found the name...I have been struggling with the same thing at "Our Country Home" (how non-committal is that for a name)...I want a fun name that describes us and our place but since my hubby is as helpful as your sounds...actually less, because he nix's every suggestion I have had so far.

Reading the other comments...maybe I should make a list of my favorites and run a contest on the blog.

Thank you for stopping by today and becoming a follower...I am so glad to be able to do the same...I am loving what I read already.

Blessings Kelsie

The Vintage Farmhouse said...

All old homes should have names!