Let’s branch out with a name for our baby

/ May 14, 2015
Still looking good.

Still looking spirited.

So far, so good, the condition of this new arrival into the life of my dear wife Karen and I.

Our little cherry tree has been rained upon. Big winds blew through the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. Bumblebees circled and frogs leaped. Squirrels teased Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle, and I worked the lawn mower around the edges of the gardens.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …

Sorry, Charlie fans.

If you took a look here Tuesday, you know that Karen and I completed our tale of two cities that began in our Washington, D.C., Easter Weekend Getaway by putting the little Snow Fountain into our front yard this past Sunday. In between, we’d shopped at Hafner’s Garden Center to study the different varieties available to us, weighing what we’d seen in partial bloom in our walk around the Tidal Basin in our Nation’s Capital during the Cherry Blossom Festival against our wishes and needs. Then we took another couple of weeks to discuss and change our minds, from backyard to front.

My great BloggyVille friend Diana took all of this in, from my Cherry Blossom photo essay post back then to this week’s planting story, and offered a suggestion.

She thinks our tree needs a name. (Fair is fair, by the way. Just a bit back, Diana shared a walk back on her memory lane, with photos, to talk about all the automobiles of her life, and my comment there asked if she had bestowed a name upon her latest car as she had on previous models, which she had not.)

Further, Diana suggests a reader contest to pick the name.

And here we have it.

New view.

New view.

I will, however, offer a few suggestions. You all will have the final say. MDW Karen and I have not yet called this tree anything other than this tree or similar derivatives.

First I will throw out “Cherry Cherry” because the other reason Karen set up this getaway to D.C. was to see the Neil Diamond concert that Saturday night before Easter at the Verizon Center. To be named after Neil’s bouncy song, a tree could go through life with a worse fate, I figure.

“Snowy” seems to be reasonable, considering the species is called Snow Fountain and the tree will live its life in Syracuse, N.Y., the metropolitan snow king of the U.S.A.

“Washington” would play off the city and the father of our country.

“George” goes there, too, but I throw out the caveat that my terrific daughter Elisabeth’s boyfriend already has claim to that one with George Three and I, personally, don’t need name confusion in my life.

“Chinda” was the name of the wife of the Japanese emperor who planted the first two gifted from that nation along with Helen Taft in 1912. OK, I went to history.com to find this one.

I’ll include a write-in space on the ballot below because I know you all have great minds.

Feel free to offer suggestions in comments. Argue among yourselves if you wish. Vote wisely, please. Karen and I hope to call this tree by that name for a good, long time.

Here’s the link to Diana’s fine blog.

Here’s the link to my story and photos about planting the tree.

Do you wish to stump for a particular name for our new cherry tree? Do you name inanimate objects in your life? What’s your favorite nickname for something around your house, and please share the story behind it.

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99 thoughts on “Let’s branch out with a name for our baby”

  4. I voted for Cherry, Cherry, but did like Cherry Bomb and Cherry Baby. Then, for a strange twist on ‘weeping cherry,’ I thought of “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina.”

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    • Hahahahahahaha. Great twist, Robin. You made my second day of reading comments for our little tree. Hahaha. I love it. If we want to make it musical, Don’t Cry for Me Ike and Tina. Happy Friday night, my friend. 😉 Thank you for your great name.

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  5. Why not just Neil. That’s the first thing I though of after I read the title of this post.
    Also, now I have this vision of you quoting: “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done . . .” as you worked at digging the hole for your new baby.

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  7. “Cherry Cherry Snow Fountain Fairy” tree. 😀 😀 😀 I think this name is beautiful and encompasses Karen’s Neil Diamond Song. You could call it Cherry Cherry for short.

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  9. Hey Mark, can you do me a favor? I composed what I thought was a brilliant response (to my mind) and posted it. I came back later to check if you had responded (wanting, of course to be praised for my brilliance 😀 ), and it was gone. Having run into this from WP before, i had, quite carefully copied the comment before I posted, so I reposted the same comment and it disappeared too. Can you check in your spam folder – it occurred to me that as the comment had some Japanese words in it, it may have gone to spam. Thanks! 😀

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      • I guess you didn’t find it, so i’ll reproduce it without the Japanese – that was a bit show offy anyway, ha!

        I want to submit Sakura Siracusa

        Name #1) Sakura: A cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is called Sakura after the Japanese ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossom ) The Japanese used to have parties under the cherry trees and drink Saki,

        Name #2) Siracusa: Syracuse:1. (Placename) a port in SW Italy, in SE Sicily on the Ionian Sea: founded in 734 bc by Greeks from Corinth and taken by the Romans in 212 bc, after a siege of three years. Pop: 123 657 (2001). Italian name: Siracusa ( http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Syracuse )

        Reasons for choosing:

        a) The name translates as the Blossoming Cherry Tree of Syracuse.

        b) The name resonates with the Bialczak family habit of multiple names : such as Dogamous Pyle or My Dear Wife (MDW) or Little Bitty

        c) The name lends itself to easily being familiarized: such short versions as Sira, Saku, or combinations: Sakusa or Sirura

        d) The name is alliterative with the two words have the same first and last letters – it is visually pleasing, easily spoken and has a delightful musical sound

        e) The name incorporates both Japanese and Italian words in an English setting – the roots of the tree and the community name and a metaphor for the cultural mix of the community with the acceptance and promotion of diversity.

        f) The name represents the most research of any of the candidates and it is a positive thing to reinforce hard work work with recognition, Hahahaha! 😀

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    • That is quite a name, with much work attached, Paul. And with history here as well. In the 80s there was a beloved Japanese restaurant by day/jazz club by night in Syracuse that went by the name of Sakura. So there you have it. Voting closes on Thursday, as you know. I’ll write a post calling our tree by name after that. 🙂 Thank you, my friend.

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  12. I voted for George – and now i have remembered the big to do about the zoo and the name Charlotte. Maybe I will have to leave the country.

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  13. I have voted… Let’s hope the community decides on Washington.

    My car is named…I talk to her frequently and apologise when we go over a particularly bad road. She’s a Lincoln Towncar and since she’s so big my grandpa and family always called her the “Boat” or “Mississippi Belle” so I just call her Belle

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    • I like your car name, Victoria. I can picture Belle wanting to take very good care of you!

      OK, a vote for Washington from the younger demographic! Have you applied to Syracuse University yet, or is it still too early for that?

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      • I hope so! I swear I’ll cry if she gives up the ghost.

        As for Syracuse, I’m reevaluating whether I want to make it my main goal just because it’s private and therefore expensive… I’ll still apply, but after some research it seems that it’s very difficult to get scholarships there. I still want to be in New York, though. I don’t really start applying until next winter, so we’ll see then!!

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  14. What? Your baby had a “shower” and I wasn’t invited?? Darn it! I am becoming quite fond of her (can we make her a girl?) You need another female in your life (hee,hee). I am going to vote now. 🙂

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    • You have an open invitation, Mrs. B, if you’re ever bored and need to head the car west on the Mass Pike and NYState Thruway. Mi casa es su party palace. Yeah, I need another girl in my life, don’t I, MDW Karen, darling daughter Elisabeth and Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle?

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  16. I rather like Fountain of Life, Mark… but I spotted Cherry Bomb in the comments and that’s my new favourite. 🙂 I’ve come in late to the story so I’ll have to journey off now to see how Cherry Bomb is going to look when it grows up. My husband designs gardens for a living so this post is quite a good jump off point. Nice to meet you 🙂

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    • You have fine style, Beth. 🙂 I need to start naming more things after we settlle on the winner for the tree. After all, the Little Bitty has worked out so well for our house. My car, maybe. My blog? 😉

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  22. Well, I say you capitalize on irony as well as the king (or queen) of all the weird celebrity names out there and call it Apple…but that’s just me! My son suggested I name my new used bright red Chevy Cruz ‘Christine’. Think of the evil connotations. Cars definitely get a name.

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  26. Did you ask the tree? Maybe he/she already has a name… Just in case not, I will scroll back up and vote for Cherry Cherry.

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  28. Call it “The Don” after Don Cherry the best Hockey announcer ever. Of course the tree does look after the family so in Mafia terms “Don” would be appropriate.

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  29. Mark, I love that you’re using the poll. I voted Cherry Cherry, but suggest you shorten that to CC (cool name, huh?) I like the connection between the ND concert and tie in with buying the tree.

    Thanks for the link back to my blog, how lovely of you to do so. ❤

    Diana xo

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  33. You should name your tree Mari Chino… I seldom name inanimate objects, I just don’t get that attached to things. I can’t think of one single thing around my house that has a nic-name.

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