Sheneeda, Shirley, and Shrek

I was having a random conversation with my Mom tonight and she mentioned her power had blinked off.  "Even if I don't have the TV on or anything, I can always tell if the power blinks off because Shrek beeps",  she says.  It took me a second.  Whaaaat???  Then I remembered she has named her oxygen concentrator "Shrek".  Ooooh, okay Mom.  (Mom is on oxygen 24/7 due to health problems and while she's home this machine concentrates room air into pure oxygen which she breathes through one of those little tubes you wear under your nose.  When we leave the house she brings little oxygen bottles with her.  Just FYI, in case you don't have an oxygen concentrator in your realm of daily appliances LOL)  Anyway, I'm not sure where she came up with the name "Shrek", something to do with the soft wheezy sound it makes I think? 

But then again, Mom has always had the fascinating habit of naming random objects in her life.  Her eyesight has gotten so bad she can't drive anymore.  One of her favorite hobbies is to pass the time on her back steps or looking out the big window by her recliner and watch the birds, squirrels, and all manner of critters she feeds faithfully in her backyard every day.  You know that classic scene in Snow White where she's out singing and all the little birds fly up chirping and there's bunnies and squirrels and all the little woodland animals gather around?  Well, that's kind of like my Mom's backyard.  Only Mom doesn't sing, doesn't exactly look like Snow White, and... well...  there's just about no other similarity come to think of it.  LOL   But lots of birds and little creatures think her backyard is heaven.


They entertain her and she names some of them too.  I find it fascinating that this woman who can barely read the big E on the eye chart can tell the hummingbirds apart... oh, that little one there with the yellow on his breast is a bully... he chases the one with the white wing tips away.   Say what??   You're kidding me, right?  All I see is a blur!!  She has named her favorite and most frequent squirrel visitor "Shirley".  Shirley the squirrely.  Has a nice ring to it, don't ya think?  Anyway, so she can see colors on the hummingbirds flying at a million miles an hour but she can't see that ole Shirley is a boy?  I mean seriously... got a big ole boy part pretty obvious there when he sits and eats his corn.  Hello... Mom??  You realize Shirley isn't a girlie squirrely, right?    But then again at our house we have a girl pig named Steve, so who am I to talk.  SMH

Mom and Dad always had a habit of naming things, especially cars.  I think this started with Sheneeda.  Sheneeda was a 1950-something Chevy sedan, the first new car they bought after they got married.  I know about Sheneeda because apparently one day in the 1960's she made the trip to my Grandpa's farm at Round Top and then gave up the ghost, never to run again.  It sat peacefully under a tree by one of the barns until the property was sold in the 1990's.   You might think Sheneeda was some kind of unique ebonic name, perhaps years ahead of her time?  Well, not so much.  It was named thusly because She-need-another quart of oil, She-need-a new alternator, She-need-a new water pump....   seems she was always needing SOMETHING!  Hahahahaha 

In a way I guess naming things give them a life of their own?  So if my Mom wants to name her oxygen machine Shrek and the boy squirrel Shirley, who am I to say anything.  You gotta admit it is kind of creative.  Come to think of it maybe I should've named one of my kids "Mommacanihave".  Momma, can I have this?  Momma, can I have that?  Hmmm....  kinda has a nice ring to it.  LOL