"A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME...." (Shakespeare)

Keeping track of the unique (as in goofy) names celebrities give their babies is one of my scientific past-times, and I came across a new one over the weekend. Some guy from the Iron Chef TV show dubbed his daughter: Petal Blossom Rainbow. I think that’s very clever and don’t know why I didn’t come up with it myself as a suggested name for the anticipated addition to my extended family come August. I think Petal Blossom Bishop or Rainbow Bishop have a nice alliterative ring to them. So does Peanut Butter Bishop, come to think of it.

Of course, I had to immediately contact Big Sis Bishop, grandmother-to-be of the expected family babe, to tell her that Petal Blossom Rainbow should be added to the list of prospective names, if a girl is in the making. She said she hated to burst my bubbly head, but a female name had already been chosen--Caroline Rose.

The father of the baby-in-waiting, my nephew, has a paternal great grandmother and maternal great-great grandmother both named Rose. My late great granny Rose was a bud ahead of her time: she smoked, got divorced--twice, and had men “taking care” of her at a time when such behavior was considered scandalous of a lady. By the time I got to know her, though, she was just a little old whit of a woman whose days of hard living were in her thorny past.

--Now, I think flowery names are sweet. There are so many from which to choose. Here are a few bloomin’ good ideas that I think would be fine names for people to pick for their little girls:

Tulip Petunia
Pansy Peony
Chrysanthemum Marigold (a bit long, but she could be called Chryssie, Mari, or Goldie for short))
Daisy Daffodil
Lilac Lily-of-the-Valley
Iris Amaryllis (my favorite--especially if her last name was Willis)

Try it for yourself. See what hybrid combinations you can grow from your own fertile garden of a mind!