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Sunday, May 2, 2010

A Place Called Home

Labels: , , at 1:20 PM

Perhaps it began with Laura and her Rocky Ridge Farm.  Or maybe it was Anne and her beloved Green Gables.  Or perhaps, even, Scarlett and beutiful Tara.  Or maybe it stems from an interest in history and the way I was raised.  Whichever it is, I've always had a name for my home and property.


Growing up my parents were involved in a group called the SCA, or the Society for Creative Anacronism.  Basically, they dressed up, make up pretend names and pretended tha  they lived during the Middle Ages.  I think it's kind of like a grown-up tea party.  I personally, was never really into it and just got dragged along until I was old enough to voice an opinion.  Anyhoo, because of this, my parents acted as a Scottish lord and lady and their "manor home" aka our house, was called Wildweed Manor.  =)  Mom says they named it this because they could never get anything to grow besides weeds.  Even though I thought the whole Middle Ages thing was dumb (can we get a bit of teenage attitude in that statement, please?) I thought it was cool that they named our house.  We even had a sign that said "Welcome to Wildweed Manor" in gaelic.  Pretty cool stuff, that.


And as an avid reader, I fell in love with Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Rocky Ridge Farm in Missouri.  I enjoyed reading about Anne's adventures around her green-gabled home.  The beauty of Scarlett O'Hara's Tara plantation, both in words and on the movie screen really stayed in my mind.  And as an adult, reading of Broch Turach in Scotland, the home of Jamie and Claire Fraser of the Outlander series sticks there.


I have always been intrigued by the fact that these old manor homes, especially in the Brittish Isles, had names.  Or that the southern plantations were named.  As a teen, I would think, "why would you ever name a home?"


Now that I'm an adult (or at least masquerade as one most of the time) and a homeowner and land owner, I totally get it.  Giving a house or farm or land a name totaly gives it a personality.  It adds character.  It gives a house life and breath and helps to make it a home.


I must admit that even my first apartment had a name - I called it Garden Court.  I think the complex had a boring name like Bay Manor or somesuch.  But my little one bedroom overlooked the center gardens and they were beautifully kept in the summer.  I'm not sure I ever told anyone about my little pet name for the apartment.  =)


When we bought our house and one acre, I searched high and low for a name that would fit our little homestead.  You can choose a name based on family history or ethnic background.  You could choose it based on location.  Or characteristics of the home.  I thought and thought and thought.


Finally, I found the perfect name!  I've always been very big into my own Scottish/Irish heritage and wanted something to honor that.  I also decided to use the location of the house.  Thus, Auburn Glen was born.  Auburn, as we are located between two towns/villages, the closest of which is Auburn.  Glen, reflecting the great glens of Scotland and my heritage (sorry Mr. CrazyLife....I guess we left out your heritage there!) and while we aren't particularily in a glen, we are surrounded by farm fields, so I figured it was close enough.  The final straw was that is flowed and had a bit of poetry to it.  I cannot imagine a house named without a thought to flow or the poetry of the name.


Does anyone else name their home or land?  I can't be the only crazy person out there who does this?  Am I?

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