How Mel Got His Name

I've got lots and lots to post about (like the long-passed chol hamoed Pesach) (and more about our geneticist trip almost three weeks ago). But I'm not really up to it now, so today you get to learn about...

How Mel Got His Name

Our little cat, Mel, has a very rich history to his name.

As soon as we brought him home, even before we knew what we were going to do with him, Gedalya announced, "His name will be Bunana." Bunana [boo-nah-nah] is the boys' baby word for flower.

But Zusha wouldn't have any of it. He wanted to name our cat himself!

After thinking for a few minutes, random letters running through his head, he asked, "What does M-E-L spell?"

And that is how this cat earned his second name, Mel.

Well, when people would ask our cat's name (because the boys used to gleefully announce, "We have a catttttt!!" to anyone who would listen) (and to anyone who wouldn't) the boys would shout out, "Bunana Mel!" And nobody would understand the long (and weird) name.

So I told them to just say Mel. It's short, simple and recognizable. The boys agreed to do so, but they weren't thrilled with the idea. "But it's only half of his name!"

So now when we go to a bakery, or a grocery, or the library, or the park... and the boys come across a person who doesn't yet know we have a cat, they announce, "We have a cat at home!" And the person might ask, "What's the cat's name?"

Gedalya answers, "Mel."

And Zusha adds, mysteriously, "That's his middle name."